No Differences
by Heir of the void
Summary: When a Rogue Trader storms a Heretek ship, he and his retinue find more than they bargained for. As the crew dives deeper into the mysteries surrounding their find, they discover things that will shake their understanding of humanity and carry the potential to strike at the very heart of the Imperium. Whether these changes will be for good or ill, however, remains to be seen...
1. Chapter 1

**Started this as a side project, and it somehow turned into my NaNoWriMo story for the year. My goal is 50,000 words by the end of the month, but I think we all know that something like 30,000 is a more realistic figure. If anyone wants to help beta read this, PM me.**

[x]

Rat glanced nervously at the bulkhead behind him. The cockpit of the shuttle was silent for now, but the occupant had been noisy for at least a half hour before the current lull, and given the fact that, even deprived of its weapons, it could and would strip him to bone in seconds.

He sighed. The pay was good, and it was too late to do anything now. He had taken the job to deliver the occupant of the cage to the pre-arranged rendezvous point, and if he tried to back out now, he would be executed. No, he would be murdered. Execution implied that his employers had the force of the law behind them, which they most certainly did not.

As the shuttle crossed some invisible line, a voidship ahead light up its running lights. It appeared out of the void in a blaze of light, revealing a massive construction that dwarfed Rat's shuttle. Biting his lip, he spun the shuttle onto a diagonal vector that took him toward the docking bay of the massive ship.

Feeling a slight drag as he killed his velocity and pulled into the hangar, Rat winced as the passenger behind him roared. It clearly didn't like the acceleration. He shuttle shook as a docking clamp grabbed his vessel out of the void and slowly moved it toward an airlock.

Rat and his passenger sat in silence for several minutes as the docking procedures were carried out and the pressures were equalized. A light came on. Rat stood up, as agreed, and opened the bulkhead.

He was greeted by the sight of a Tyranid Warrior. The beast stood in a cage, chained, mouth open.

It roared at him. Rat flinched, then looked back at the Warrior as the silence of the Void returned. Chained and caged as it was, there was nothing the creature could do to him.

Unless it had some biomorph concealed that the men who cut off its Venom Cannon, Boneswords, and Tail Strangler had missed. It could have a prehensile tongue, capable of reaching through the wide gaps in the bar of the cage and taking off his head, or a spore sac that-

Rat shook his head. He needed to focus on completing the job. He walked around the cage and pressed a button on the far wall of the shuttle, and the rear ramp of the craft slowly lowered.

Standing on the other side were three figures. As they stepped forward, it became clear that the two in either side were servitors, judging by their clumsy, mechanical gait. The figure in the center walked much more smoothly, and the light of several argumentations shined out from under the red hood concealing his features.

A mechanical tendril shot out from a slit in the side of the robe and curled toward Rat's head. He flinched as it stopped an inch from his eye. Half his vision went red, then the tendril vanished.

"I see you are the promised messenger." The center figure said. The voice was so thickly layered with mechanical overtones it took Rat a moment to realize that the voice was in fact human.

Or had once been human, anyway.

"Y... Yes." Rat said, as the center Machine-thing looked at him. He had seen priest of the Adeptus Mechanicus before, but none of them gave off the disturbing aura that this creature did.

"You will receive your payment, as promised." The Machine-thing said. "I will now retrieve my specimen. Is this acceptable?"

Rat nodded.

The second his head started moving, a massive mechanical arm appeared, lowering itself from the ceiling outside the shuttle. It extended through the open rear of the ship and deposited a large chest on the floor. Then it reached for the cage holding the Warrior and picked it up, lifting the multi-ton container and its occupant into the air. It began to move toward the exit of the shuttle. The Machine-thing stepped smoothly out of the way, and Rat scrambled to do likewise. The arm moved the cage out of the shuttle, then lifted it out of sight.

"Our business is concluded." The Machine-thing said. "You have fifteen minutes to get off my ship."

Rat gulped and hurried toward the cockpit. He sped through the pre-flight checks and took off as quickly as he could. He was so focused on getting out that he didn't even see the warning on his console as point defense systems of the massive vessel charged up and blew him to flaming atoms.

**No Differences**

Experiment Log:

Day 1: Subject acquired. The... loose ends were cauterized, and experimentation has commenced. The Tyranid Warrior (_Tyranicus gladius_) was injected with a unique mixture of Human genetic material and nanomachines salvaged from a Dark Age ruin. While I maintain a considerable supply of these nanomachines, I will be most frustrated if this experiment fails. If successful, the flexible nature of the Tyranid biology will allow it to serve as a host for the replication of the nanomachines. The human genetic material is necessary to provide the necessary authentication for the nanomachines to activate; they appear to be (wisely) restricted to human use.

Day 2: Subject demonstrates no significant change. The nanomachines have spread throughout it's body, but most remain in a passive state. Increasing dosage levels of human genetic material.

Day 3: The Increased dosages appear to have had the desired effect, as more of the Nanomachines are activating. I am increasing the dosage again and will continue administration.

Day 7: The nanomachines have finally begun integrating themselves into the tissue of the subject. I have decided to inject an additional dose of nanomachines and more gene material.

Day 10: The subject appears to have become sluggish, and its body temperature is increasing. Its containment chamber was cooled to compensate. It also appears to be metabolizing its food much faster. I am increasing its rations, and including the minerals needed for the nanomachines to replicate.

Day 20: The subject has become more sluggish, and there appears to be evidence that its immune system has begun to fight the nanomachines. I have administered suppressant drugs, but only time will tell if the subject and the nanomachines will survive.

Day 35: Success. I have observed the first replication of a nanomachine within the host of the subject. The energy equations don't seem quite right, but that is presently of little consequence.

Day 50: The subject's immune system is losing to the nanomachines. The machines appear to have infiltrated the immune centers of the subject and are connecting themselves to the tissue. Most interesting. The subject continues to display sluggish behavior.

Day 75: The nanomachines have integrated themselves into the tissue of the subject completely, and can now be observed within the cells. They appear to be affecting several key functions, but I can't tell exactly what effect they are having. Further study is warranted

Day 100: The subject appears to be in poor health. It is barely moving except to eat, and it has begun molting carapace. Nanomachines can be found in the material of the shed carapace, though they are resisting all efforts at extraction.

Day 150: The subject has stopped moving entirely. I have connected it to intravenous nutrition and hydration supplies, though there appears to be nothing more I can do at present.

Day 175: No change noted. Subject is still not moving.

Day 200: Subject has begun losing mass at a greater rate than its metabolic and excretory processes would indicate. Where exactly this mass is going I have yet to determine. The subject's comatose state continues.

Day 250: The subject's fifth and sixth limb have atrophied significantly, and its body mass is now less than a ton.

Day 275: I have taken a genetic sample of the Subject, and it is no longer Tyranid. The nanomachines appear to have integrated significant amounts of human genetic material into its gene code. What connection this has, if any, to its present physical state is unknown, but the obvious guess is that the two are deeply connected.

Day 300: The subject now possess more human DNA than a month ago, and weighs less than half a ton. Its fifth and sixth limbs have disappeared completely, and it has lost its teeth and claws.

Day 325: The subject's neurological activity has gone wild, though its physical activity is still zero. Its mass has stabilized, however, as has the atrophy of its body.

Day 365: The subject's body collapsed, revealing a humanoid that appeared to be gestating within. How I missed this on my scans I have no idea but- They're coming. Why NOW?

[x]

The target ship shook as the Exorcist-class Grand Cruiser blasted it with lance fire. Such precision weapons were not really necessary at such short range, but they held with the difficult task of disabling the engines of a ship thousands of kilometers distant without compromising its reactor core.

Rogue Trader Augustus Knight, formerly of the Imperial Inquisition, sat in his shock couch in his Shark Attack Boat, waiting for the craft to launch. He hated this part.

A squadron of Starhawk bombers was bombing and strafing the target ship from close range, destroying its point defense capability. As soon as its drive failed under the lance bombardment, he would launch, along with his retinue, to board the enemy's ship and neutralize its master.

His target in this operation was a known Heretek, a high-ranking member of the Adeptus Mechanicus who had gone rouge more than a decade ago. Augustus network of spies had reported that he had claimed to be on the verge of creating a new form of Daemon Engine, something that Augustus could not tolerate.

With a shake, the Shark Assault Boat launched into space. Augustus felt himself be pressed into his seat as the craft accelerated. At this range, there would barely be any time to accelerate before impacting the enemy ship. They would have to pass through the point defense zones at well below the recommended speed. They were making up for it by launching many more Shark Boats than usual.

They were banking on the fact that the Heretek ship would be mostly crew by Servitors, and would have few to no Armsmen aboard. He was still landing upwards of six thousand elite Stormtroopers and Skitarii, probably enough to storm the ship, unless they encountered any unexpected surprises.

Augustus looked over his Retinue, secured in their shock couches.

Simon, his Psyker. Augustus had recruited young man from the Agri World Photoria at age twelve, and was one of the strongest and most controlled Psykers that Augustus had ever encountered. The black-haired young man wielded Pyromancy and Biomancy like another might use a laspistol, though he struggled with other disciplines. Augustus had forbidden him from studying Daemonology, but had forced him learn a considerable amount of Theosophamy, much to his chagrin.

The young man's powers had been helpful more times than Augustus could count in the seven years since his recruitment. He had helped blast the retinue out of tight spots and banish Daemons, and had been well on his way toward becoming an Inquisitor in his own right when Augustus had been 'granted' his Warrant of Trade.

Maren, his warrior-adept. Skilled with both gun and blade, the woman refused to remove her helmet under most situations. She spoke with her shuriken weapons, which she had scavenged from fallen Eldar warriors, more often than with her soft, melodious voice. Despite her lack of teamwork skills, she was a lethal combatant.

Magos Venatus, his techpriest. The machine-man had elected to join Augustus on his travels beyond the realm of the Imperium, bringing a large number of Skitarii and tech-acolytes, with him. He was eccentric, but effective, and dreamed of finding a lost STC template to add to the collection of the Mechnicius for the betterment of mankind.

The rest of the Assault boat was filled by Stormtroopers. Augustus had lost access to the Inquisitorial Stormtroopers when he had been 'retired' from the Inquisition, and he had yet to rebuild his retinue and forces. However, there were several elite outfits that lent their services to Rogue Traders spreading the light of the Emperor beyond the border of the Imperium, and Augustus had hired the services of one of the best of them.

The Assault Boat shook as it absorbed a hit from a defensive turret. Augustus hated assault boat rides. The only thing worse was riding a boarding torpedo. At least teleporters were quick.

The acceleration of the Assault Boat suddenly reversed, hard. Augustus was pushed against his acceleration couch.

The boat impacted. Inertial dampeners flared, but it was like going through a ground car crash. A second later, the melta cutters on the front of the ship fired, and it began to drill into the hull of the enemy ship.

As Augustus began to climb out of his acceleration couch, sevros in his power armor whirring, the interior of the Assault Boat began to grow uncomfortable hot. The atmosphere control systems on his power armor adapted, allowing him to focus on the mission.

He began advancing down the central corridor of the Shark, toward the slowly opening doors at the front of the ship, his retinue forming up around him.

[x]

Simon walked down the aisle of the assault boat behind his master, readying his psychic powers. He wore a suit of psionic amplifiers and inhibitors that, combined with the Psychic Hood built, gave him a strong layer of protection against the Perils of the Warp.

As the retinue reached the front of the assault boat, they began to climb down into the corridor of the enemy ship. Slagged metal lay cooling in puddles that covered much of the deck, but the sealed Void Suits worn by assault team protected them from the heat they radiated.

The Stormtroopers were forming up in a relatively clear section of the hallway. For a boarding operation of this scale, on platoon would stay behind and defend the Shark, while the other five platoons would stay together to advance into the ship. In this sort of operation, the idea was simply the elimination of enemy forces and the capture of key systems. An Engineseer with special training accompanied each platoon, and would upload data-weapons to seize control of enemy systems.

The stormtroopers would blow up anything the Engineseers couldn't capture.

Simon walked over to where Augustus and the rest of the retinue were forming up, staff in hand. Maren already had her sword and rifle drawn, and several mechanical tendrils surrounded Venatus, holding a variety of weapons.

"We're going for the core of the ship." Augustus declared, raising his Power Sword. "Our target could have started a ritual when he realized we were on his tail. We can't afford to let him finish it."

"Yes, sir." The retinue chorused.

"All squads, prepare to move out." Augustus shouted. "We're moving to the center of the ship."

The stormtroopers began to move out. As they did so, Simon closed his eyes and readied himself to unleash his psionic power. He imagined a tiny flame at the center of his mind, surrounded by everything else in his world. Then, one by one, he began to feed them into the flame, letting them burn away until the flame was surrounded by nothing but void.

And in that void, he found power.

Simon opened his eyes and fell back into formation.

Everything went well for about thirty seconds, until the first death robots appeared.

Five combat robots stormed out from around a corner toward the advancing company, guns blazing. They were humanoid, but with four arms, each ending in a weapon.

Three stormtroopers went down in a hail of las fire before they had time to fully process what was going on. Simon reacted almost immediately.

He reached into the stillness within himself and drew forth the power of the Warp. He flung a shimmering barrier across the space between the company and the automata. The next shots from the machines were deflected by the barrier as the stormtroopers sought what little cover was available.

As Simon began to feel the strain of maintaining the barrier pull on his mind, he retracted it to just protect the retinue and prepared a bolt of Witchfire.

Lasbolts cracked across the space around him, and Simon raised his hand. A stream of liquid fire shot forward, lancing across space and engulfing one of the automata. Smoke rose from it, and sparks poured from it like water as Simon swung the beam across the other war machines.

A fourth stormtrooper went down as Maren stepped out of the barrier, rifle raised. She fired a burst of lasers into the automata that Simon had focused his beam on, and it dropped, falling to the ground and began to leak a dark fluid. She switched targets as Simon dropped the barrier, and Venatus raised his forest of Mechadendrites and unleashed a storm of laser and plasma fire on the robots.

As two more machines dropped under the assault, Augustus raised his pistol. He pulled the trigger, and it made an odd keening sound, and a pencil thin bolt of light shot out and touched one of the automata. The machine struck exploded in flames, pieces of it raining across the hallway. Simon fired a bolt of witchfire into the last automata, dropping it with flames crawling across its body.

The company resumed its advance, leaving the dead where they fell with, a las bolt in the base of the spine to impede any attempted reanimation of them by the Dark Powers. Aboard a suspected Heretek ship, anything could happen.

After about a minute of further advance, the squad came to a massive set of blast doors blocking advance. A team of specialists carrying melta charges advanced and began planting them on the door, while the rest of the company took up defensive positions.

As the soldiers planted their charges, Simon raised his wristcomp and pressed a series of runes. A holographic map of the Heretek's ship appeared, acquired via scanning when they had lowered the enemy vessels Void Shields.

Simon zoomed in on the company on the display. Several companies were advancing into the ship in the area. Some had already met resistance, and most reported having slaughtered servitor and traitor crewmembers. Simon pressed a few more runes, and opened a list of ship systems and cogitation nets the boarding crew had brought under their control.

Most of it was incomprehensible to Simon, but Venatus had taught him perhaps more than was proper about the craft of technology. With that knowledge, Simon knew enough to be able to tell that the boarding party was doing very well in wrestling control of the ship away from the Heretek. Simon frowned as attack-codes brought another cogitator net under their control.

Was it possible they were doing too well?

The specialists retreated from the door, and with a low roar, followed by a rushing sound, the melta charges detonated, blowing glowing-hot holes in the door. After giving them a couple of seconds to cool, the specialists advanced again and placed bundled of shaped charges in the holes.

As the whole company retreated away from the door, trailing wires leading to the explosive bundles behind them, Simon watched three more tertiary subsystems fall to the attackers in quick succession. One of them he recognized as a point defense fire control cogitator net. There was no way that should have fallen so easily. As the cogitator was tasked to attack nearby systems, Simon sent a ping to his master.

"Sir, I think the Heretek wants us to reach his inner sanctum. He's allowing us to advance into his systems far too easily."

Inside his helmet, Augustus smiled. "Why do you think that might be?"

"Because it's a trap?" Simon said, nervousness creeping into his voice.

"Of course it's a trap, boy!" Augustus sent back. "How do you think he might intend to trap us?"

"Daemons come to mind." Simon responded. "As do murder cogitators and attack servitors. But he might just have flooded his entire sanctum with promethium and rigged a lighter to the door or something."

"Excellent." Augustus said, opening a channel to the entire e retinue. "Venatus, send me the scan results for the inner sanctum, and signal the ship, tell them to repeat the scans using the signaling gear we're carrying as amplifiers. We might have a trap on our hands."

"Affirmative, Rogue Trader." Venatus said. Nothing seemed to happen.

"I detect several large mass signatures in the inner sanctum." Venatus said, after a moment. "Shall we halt our advance and destroy the target from the ship?"

"No." Augustus said. "But we should accelerate our advance. Assault through the ambush. Blow the charges."

With a massive bang that seemed to shake the entire ship, the charges detonated, blasting one of the main doors separating the ship into three kilometer-long sections into shrapnel.

The company resumed their advance. The next challenge they encountered was a storm assault by several dozen combat servitors. Simon created a telepathic barrier, allowing the company to seek cover behind the pillars lining the massive corridor, while Venatus projected signals jamming the control frequencies for the servitors and sending them into brainlock.

The second the incoming fire slackened, Maren charged forward and began cutting into the machines with gun and sword, tearing them to pieces. Simon supported her with bolts of witchfire, while Venatus used his array of weapons to blast servitors apart and the stormtroopers provided heavy yet precise hotshot lasgun fire.

As soon as the last servitor hit the ground, the company resumed its advance, this time leaving no one behind.

[x]

The experiment awoke.

She looked down at herself. Her's was a thin, frail body, and something in her mind suggested that there might be some reason that that wasn't right, but it was hers. She stood up on two of her limbs that seemed made for locomotion and began walking around her space. The floor was covered in a strange grey dust, which tickled the experiment's feet as she walked around it in.

After a few seconds, she realized where she was. She was in a cage, made for containing something. She wasn't entirely sure why, but she didn't want to be in a cage. She walked to the front of the cage and looked at it. There were thick, widely spaced bars, clearly meant to hold some large, extraordinarily strong creature. There was a locking mechanism on the front of the cage, a massive latch of shiny silver metal.

The experiment reached down and opened the latch. It was surprisingly easy, which bothered her, although she had no idea why. Should that have been a good thing?

She walked out of the cage and looked around. She was surrounded by all manner of incomprehensible devices, covered in blinking lights and glowing runes. They reached above her head and, after several minutes of walking, she came to the conclusion that they formed some sort of maze around her. She could see tall doors at either end of the room, but she had no idea how to reach them.

Abruptly, a low sensation seemed to _buzz_ through her head. She wasn't sure what it meant, but she knew it felt _wrong_ somehow, and she could somehow feel the direction of its origin. She knew she didn't want to go anywhere near it.

Suddenly, several low booming sounds shattered the silence. They were muffled, as though far away, and something in the experiment's mind labeled them as explosions. Slowly, she began walking in the general direction of the explosions. As she did so, the _buzzing_ in her mind began to intensify. Briefly, she wonder what it was.

There was another explosion, and strange sounds began drifting through the wall that had formed the back of her cage. The experiment froze in place, listening. There were frequent, overlapping, cracking sounds, strange keening sounds, the occasional scream, and roars.

This went on for some time, with the experiment frozen in a mixture of fear and interest. As minutes passed, the crackings became less frequent, and there seemed to me more screams and roars.

Then one of the tall doors at the end of the room slid open. A second later a massive, blood red monster covered in bronze armor and carrying an axe dripping with blood charged into the room.

Something within the experiment recognized this as an enemy. One thought flashed through her mind. _Kill._

[x]

Simon retreated through the door with the rest of the retinue, the massively oversized bloodletter hot on their heels. The attack had been going so well, too, until the demons showed up.

The retinue and their company had met up with another two companies of stormtroopers for the final assault on the inner sanctum of the Heretek, then breached the doors and attacked. They had been met by battle-automata and waves of attack servitors. The disciplined stormtroopers tore the robots to pieces as Venatus jammed their control systems, but they had never been more than a diversionary measure.

The real blow came when the Heretek completed a daemon summoning ritual.

Simon watched as the Heretek's body exploded, turning into a Warp portal. Simon flung a lump of psychic power into the portal, but it was like trying to fight a waterfall with a fire hose. Daemons poured through into the ship, overwhelming the Stormtroopers in minutes. Simon set a self-weaving repair enhancement over the portal, which was not the best-crafted that he had seen, but there were already too many demons aboard the ship. All the other companies of stormtroopers were enroute to stamp out the infection.

But that didn't do Simon any good if they were eaten before they got there.

"This way!" Augustus shouted, gesturing toward one of the side doors as he blasted a bloodletter with his strange keening pistol.

Venatus wasted no time hacking into the door controls and opening the massive doors. The firewalls were weak, and he was able to open it quickly. In that time, two squads of stormtroopers died, many of them screaming as daemons tore them apart. As the door opened, the retinue dashed through the door.

However, a massively oversized bloodletter, carrying a massive, bloody axe, noticed them and turned toward them. As it charged, Venatus tried valiantly to close the door, but the daemon crossed the threshold before he could, and he fell back with the rest of the retinue.

Just as the demon entered, something shot out from the dimness in the room, across the floor, and stopped in front of the daemon, swords up.

It was one of the strangest things that Simon had ever seen. It _look_ like a Tyranid Warrior, perhaps of Hive Fleet Leviathan, with a primarily red color of its carapace with oddly shiny silver timing. It held a pair of swords up, facing the demon, in its upper pair of hands, and a heavy bio-gun in its lower heads. Its tail whipped from side to side, with tendrils snaking out from the tip.

It fired its bio-gun three times, and streaks of poisonous green shot toward the daemon and impacted. Two struck armor and shattered, but one impacted flesh. The daemons screamed and raised its axe as, incredibly, the tyranid charged the daemon, which was at least three times its height.

The creature jumped into the air as it closed on the daemon, slicing into it with its boneswords as it rose. Curls of warp energy flew from its sword as it cut through the daemon's flesh and armor. The daemon swung its axe at the tyranid, but missed.

As the tyranid reached the apex of its jump, it kicked off the tyranid, sending it flying away from the daemon. The daemon tied to swing its axe at the tyranid, but the creature fired its bio-gun into the daemon's arm, breaking its swing.

The tyranid fired its Bio-gun twice more as it hit the ground. Simon realized something important. The tyranid wasn't attacking them. Simon reached into his stillness and readied himself to server the daemon's connection to the warp.

He reached out with his psychic powers, and felt for the invisible 'string' linking the demon to the warp. It took him a few precious instants to find it, but once he did, he cut it immediately with his psychic power.

The demon screamed as its connection to the Warp was severed, and appeared to wilt slightly. The tyranid didn't hesitate to take advantage of the daemon's weakened state, charging it again.

As the tyranid clashed with the daemon again, Simon fired a bolt of witchfire at it. As the flames tore into the daemon, the tyranid fired its bio-gun twice into the daemon's face, blasting it apart.

The daemon fell slowly to the floor. As it did so, as if on cue, dozens of smaller bloodletters poured into the room. At least four attacked several members of the retinue, and six charged the Tyranid Warrior.

Simon unleashed a bolt of Witchfire at one of the daemons charging him, but it was scattered harmlessly off the daemon's bronze armor. As the first daemon closed with him, Simon poured psionic energy into his staff, feinted, and struck at the deamon.

The daemon fell for his feint, blocking it viciously. However, there was nothing to block, and Simon's Force strike connected with the bloodletter's face, smashing it and sending it flying across the floor as psionic energy sparked from Simon's staff.

The next damon reached him, and Simon jabbed twice, knocking down its weapon and striking it with sanctified energy. As the daemon reeled back, Simon thrust his off hand forward, releasing a bolt of psychic power that struck the weakened daemon and vaporized its material from.

Three more daemons closed, and Simon fought them with staff and mind.

However, it quickly became clear that he was being forced back, and away from the rest of the retinue. As he dropped his fifth daemon, he realized that he had lost sight of the rest of the team.

A massive daemon beast appeared in the doorway, with the figure of a bloodletter on its back. It charged, scattering the lesser daemons before it. Simon looked around, spotting the maze of machinery and cogitator back behind him. They would provide some cover.

Muttering a prayer to the Emperor for forgiveness, Simon turned and ran.

As he dashed into the maze, Simon placed an anti-daemon seal over the entrance of the maze and kept running, feeling the beginnings of a headache growing in his head. He had used too much psychic power too quickly, and soon he would be paying the price.

Simon ran for several minutes. He wasn't sure where he was going, but he knew he couldn't fight anymore. His Gift was overtaxed, and he needed to recuperate before diving into another melee.

Eventually, it dawned on Simon that he had no idea where her was going. The sounds of fighting were dying down. He needed to get back to the rest of the retinue.

As he dashed through am archway, Simon stopped short. He was back in the original Sanctum, and it was an abattoir. Slain stormtroopers and combat servitors lay scattered across the room, lying in pools of their own vial fluids. Simon could sense the essences of dozens of slain daemons in the area, though it appeared that the Warp Portal allowing the daemons onto the ship was closed.

Simon took a step forward into the room, then froze. Lying on the ground in the middle of an intense patch of slain daemon essence was a young woman. She was naked, and her body was covered in minor cuts. Her long black hair formed a halo around her head, and blood glistened on her skin.

Dashing forward to pull her out of the potentially corrupting essence, images rose unbidden in Simon's mind.

_A young man, plagued by images he couldn't comprehend, wandering through the burning ruins of a farming village, bodies littering the ground around him._

Simon grabbed the woman and picked her up in a bridal carry. He began walking toward the edge of the miasma of daemonic energy.

_Looking at mutilated bodies, feeling tears trailing down his cheeks. Hatred surging up in him, for the creatures that had done this and the world that allowed it to happen._

Simon cleared the edge of the cloud, and the girl groaned and shifted slightly in his arms.

_A figure in armor of light, firing bolts of energy that banished the shadows. Everything went dark for a second, then the man of light was extended a hand toward him_.

A _tsking_ sound split the quiet.

"Simon, Simon, I see that even on the battlefield, you're getting busy." Simon's head snapped around. Maren was standing next to him, apparently having appeared out of nowhere. "How downright... Slaaneshi of you."

Simon went beat read inside his helmet. "It's... not like that. I just found her... And I was trying to get her out of a daemon miasma. I wasn't doing anything heretical... I..."

"I understand." Maren said. "But really, where did you find her?"

Simon tilted his head. "Right over there. She was unconscious and bleeding, so I decided to-"

"But where did she come from..." Maren mused. "Anyway, our ship is docking. We need to get off this thing. Venatus is going to pull an image of its cogitators, and then we're going to blow it to hell."

Then what he had done on the battlefield came crashing down on him. "I.. I ran away. I- I'm sorry. I-"

"Don't even start." Maren said, looking up from the inspection of the woman in Simon's arms. "We had all fallen back one way or another by the time you ran from that bloodcrusher. You fought longer than any of us, and you fought like an Avatar of Kh- like one of the Primarchs themselves."

"Oh." Simon said. "Well, what now?"

"We need to get back to the ship." Maren said. "Then we decide where to go from there."


	2. Chapter 2

**Welcome to Chapter 2. Still looking for a Beta Reader**

Aboard the _Archon of Dawn_, Augustus' combat vessel, the surviving members of the boarding party were going through decontamination. The boarding had actually gone fairly well, with the exception of the two companies that were completely wiped out during the attack on the Inner Sanctum.

As Simon walked out of the decontamination shower and cleansing ritual chamber, he watched the girl he had found come off the the conveyor belt used for cleaning equipment. Maren had found a jumpsuit for her to wear, but as it wasn't hermetically sealed, it had to be removed to run her through the cleanser. Simon reached for a disposable foil blanket and carefully wrapped her with it, then picked her up as Venatus entered the room, water dripping off his augmentics.

"We need to take her to the Medicae Wing." The Magos said. "We need to ensure that she doesn't have any deeper contamination if you're going to insist on keeping her."

Simon nodded. "I will."

The pair began walking toward the Medicae Ward of the ship. As they walked, the girl stirred slightly in Simon's arms.

"That's a good sign." Venatus said. "Slight movement during sleep is normal for organic beings. It indicates that she is in a state of rest rather than unconsciousness."

At some point during the walk, Maren joined Venatus and Simon. She looked at the unconscious girl with her mask's blank stare, nodded, then fell into step with Simon and Venatus.

Eventually, they came to the Medicae bay. Augustus was waiting for the trio by the door. "I figured you'd want to check her for corruption. I have the machine warmed up and ready."

Simon carried the young woman into the room and laid her down on the platform extending out from the blocky machine. It looked like a giant, thick metal tube taller than anyone in the room, and long enough for a man to lay down in. It was covered in symbols of the Machine God, runes to please the machine spirit, and blinking status lights.

Venatus took up a position at the control panel and plugged several of his augmentations into the device. Slowly, the platform began to retract into the machine, which produced a variety of buzzing and beeping sounds.

A few seconds after the platform and the girl had vanished into the machine, a holographic image of her body appeared in the air between the members of the retinue.

At first glance, nothing seemed to be wrong. However, as Simon looked closer, something appeared slightly... off about the arrangement and shapes of her internal organs. They seemed too _neat_ somehow, like someone had tidied up the normal clutter of the human chest cavity.

"Is she a mutant?" Simon asked, after a moment, a strange feeling in his chest.

"I'll need to run a gene test to be sure, but that appears to be the case." Venatus said.

"What do we do with her?" Simon muttered, concerned.

"We see if she had any useful mutations." Augustus said. "If not, I suppose we can always use another space-scullery or astro-maid."

"Oh." Simon said. For a second, he'd been worried that Augustus would say they'd space her.

As the pair were talking, Venatus reached out with one of his mechadendrites and pricked her skin, drawing a small sample of blood. He walked over to one of the other machines, muttered a short prayer, and inserted the blood sample in its reader slot.

It was a rapid screening device, designed for use in quickly screening a planetary population for mutation. Therefore, it was fairly quick, and produce a result in only a few minutes of tense waiting.

Venatus plugged another of his mechadendrites into the machine and nodded, closing his natural eyes.

"She's not a mutant... exactly." Venatus said at last.

"What do you mean?" Augustus asked. "Either someone's a mutant or they're not. What's the gray area?"

"Unlike most mutants, particularly those influenced by the Warp, who have changes in the sections of the genome that code for particular body parts, she has a fully complete human gene code. However, significant portions of her non-coding genes have been converted to some other standard, which exerts some influence on the normal portions of her body." Venatus explained. "Therefore, she meets the most rigorous definition of the term mutant, though she is not missing any genes that would define one as human. It will require further testing, but I believe she is genetically stable."

"In Low Gothic, please?" Augustus said.

Venatus had explained a bit of genetic science to Simon, and he was still somewhat confused by the explanation.

"She is human, with some extras." Venatus said. "And she probably won't change over time, but I'm not certain."

"Much better." Augustus said. "Now-"

"Ughhhh." A feminine voice said. "Urrrr."

It was coming from the machine. Venatus shot a tendril across the room and pressed a button, and the platform began to extend from the machine. The young woman lay on the platform, propping herself up on her elbows.

"Hello." She said, in slightly accented Low Gothic. "Who am I?"

The entire team was silent for a moment. Then Simon spoke.

"I don't know who you are." He said. "But we found you on a Heretek vessel. You wouldn't happen to know what you were doing there, would you?"

"I remember walk up in the cage, then I got out, then I fought those things, and-"

"What things?" Simon interrupted, pressing a sequence of runes on his wristcomp and displaying a holographic image of a bloodletter. "Did it look like this?"

The girl tilted her head. "I think so, but the first one was a bit bigger. I killed a bunch of them, but there were more, and I... I don't remember."

Simon looked at Augustus, who nodded.

"What you fought was called a daemon." Simon said. "They're manifestations of Chaos. We've run you through a cleansing ritual, so it won't corrupt you, but its very important that you tell us if you feel any temptations or compulsions. Now, how did you fight these daemons?"

"Oh, like this!" She said, closing her eyes.

Simon felt a massive surge of Warp energy, and the girl he had rescued vanished in a blaze of light. An instant later, a massive Tyranid Warrior was standing in the Medicae Ward.

It was the same red and silver Warrior that Simon had seen fight the daemons.

"Dear Emperor." He muttered.

"Indeed." Augustus said.

No one said anything for a moment, though a few of Venatus' tendrils snaked out toward the creature and began scanning it.

"What is it?" A voice echoing in Simon's mind, sounding the same as the girls said. "Did I do something wrong?"

"Um... No." Simon said gingerly. "It's just... Well..."

"I just did." She said, a hit of confusion in her voice. "You mean you can't do this?"

"No." Simon said. "I didn't think anyone could."

He looked at Augustus. "What is your home world?"

"What's that?" The Warrior responded, tilting her head.

It was bizarre seeing human body language on such a murderous creature. Simon had never faced Tyranid Warriors on the battlefield, but he had dealt with genestealers, and he knew how deadly the hive creatures could be.

"Simon, take her to the librarium and keep her busy until Venatus finishes with her gene code." Augustus said. "Keep her away from anything important, but use your judgement."

"Yes, sir." Simon said. He turned to the Warrior. "Can you switch back to human form?"

"Yes." The Warrior said. She closed her golden eyes, and she began to shrink. In no time, she was back in her human form. Naked.

Venatus reached over to a medical supply shelf and grabbed a gown. Maren sighed and walked forward to help the girl into it.

[x]

"So this is the Librarium." Simon said, opening the door leading to the starship's archive.

It was more of a cramped reading space, with specially designed servitors to retrieve books from the compact stacks. There were several large chairs with reading lights available. Simon walked over to one of the chairs and sat down. The girl he had pulled off the Heretek ship followed and sat down on his lap.

"That's not exactly how this is supposed to work." Simon said, shifting his position. "Usually, it's one person per chair."

"But why?" The girl said. "It's more comfortable this way."

"You don't have a standard for comparison- Fine." Simon said, then activated the holographic display. A catalogue of all the titles available in digital and print from appeared.

"The first thing we need to do is get you a name." Simon said, shifting to look up a list of common names. "These are common names on my homeworld. Just pick one you like."

"Alright." The girl said.

She began looking down the lists of names, mouthing them as she read. Simon could see her face twisted in concentration, trying out the various names. He couldn't deny that, in some way, it was cute.

"Sara." She said, after a few minutes. "Sara. I like that one. Can I have it?"

"Um... sure." Simon said, as the girl twisted to look at him. "I guess I'll call you Sara from now on."

The newly dubbed Sara beamed, like a hive child given her first Sanguinala present. "Thank you." She said. "I really like it."

"I guess you're a part of it now, so what do you know about the Imperium of Man?" Simon began.

"Imperium of Man?" Sara said. "Is that a food?"

"Why would you think that- Nevermind." Simon said. "Anyway, stop me if there are any words you don't know. So, the Imperium is the political body that, at least in theory, rules all of mankind. In practice, there are a lot of worlds that don't fall under the rule of the God Emperor."

"God Emperor?"

"The God-Emperor of Mankind is the immortal ruler of all of humanity. He is our light in the Darkness, our hope in despair, and our guiding beacon."

"Why do you need those things, though?" Sara asked.

Simon sighed. **"It is the 41st Millennium. For more than a hundred centuries The Emperor has sat immobile on the Golden Throne of Earth. He is the Master of Mankind by the will of the gods, and master of a million worlds by the might of his inexhaustible armies..."**

[x]

"... And then there are the Necrons, who are basically Zombie Death Robots with incomprehensibly advanced technology. They're pretty hard to kill, and when you do take them down, they have an annoying tendency to get back up." Simon said. "So that pretty much sums up the enemies of the Imperium. Any questions?"

"Wow." Sara said. "That's pretty bad. And we're always at war with all of them? How do we survive?"

"Well, we don't always fight all of them all the time." Simon said. "And a lot of them fight each other as much as they fight us. Plus, there are plenty of organizations in the Imperium dedicated to Humanity's survival. The Space Marines, for one, and the Inquisition, which I used to be a part of."

"What does the Inquisition do?" Sara asked.

"We traveled the Imperium, searching for threats to mankind and destroying them by any means necessary." Simon said.

"That sounds awesome!" Sara said. "Can I join?"

"Not anymore." Simon said. "Augustus and I got kicked out for working too closely with the Eldar. Now he's a Rogue Trader, traveling outside the Imperium seeking fame and fortune, in the name of the Emperor."

"I see." Sara said. "Can I help?"

"I don't know." Simon said. "That's really up to Augustus, not me. But I saw you in that fight with the Daemon, and if that's any indication of your fighting ability, we could probably use you."

Sara smiled. "Thank you."

A light on Simon's wristcomp blinked. He looked down at the time. At least an hour had passed since he had started explaining things to Sara, and he had apparently lost track of time. He had started with a basic top-down discussion of Imperial government, but he had gotten sidetracked into multiple discussions on other related topics.

"That's Augustus calling. He and Venatus must have reached a decision about what to do." Simon said. "We should head back to the Medicae Ward of the ship. They'll be waiting."

The pair got up and began to make for the door. As they did so, Simon realized that they hadn't called for a single book in the time they'd been in the Librarium.

On the way back to the Medicae wing, Simon considered Sara. She was certainly good looking, with well-balanced features and a shapely, if somewhat flat, features. Her bright golden eyes seemed to complement her dark hair, and none of her features could be considered unattractive. However, after seeing the monster she could transform into, she made him nervous, to say the least.

The pair eventually reached the Medicae Ward of the ship. As they entered the main chamber, Augustus, Maren, and Venatus turned toward the door. Simon figured that they'd been talking.

"So, we're finished a preliminary analysis of the girl's genes." Augustus said. "And we've come to several important conclusions."

"Before we go any further," Simon said, "We've decided on a name for her. She's Sara now."

"Interesting." Augustus said, then cleared his throat. "In any case, we've come to the conclusion that... Sara... does not possess sufficient genetic alteration from the human genome to be considered a Mutant, despite considerable changes and additions to non-coding regions of her gene code. However, given her exceptional genetic stability test results and her potential usefulness to the Imperium, I hereby use my authority as a Rogue Trader to grant her the status of Provisional Sanctioned Mutant. I would also like to extend an official invitation to join my retinue."

"Thank you!" Sara said. "I'll do my best."

Simon nodded to Augustus.

"In any case, now that we've finished that, we have business to attend to." Augustus said. "Simon, find Sara some quarters."

"Yes sir." Simon said. "Sara, come on."

"Okay!" Sara said, as the two left the room.

[x]

Augustus watched as Simon and the girl left the room, then turned back to Maren and Venatus.

"So, the girl was clearly Tyranid?" Augustus said.

"Yes." Venatus said. "The entire gene code for a high-grade Tyranid Warrior with multiple biological enhancements was written into her non-coding DNA. Given the remarkable efficiency of Tyranid genetic coding, it was all able to fit into her human genome with minimal disruption. Indeed, it is quite intriguing, perhaps even a miracle of the Machine God, that-"

"Venatus?" Maren said. "Enough."

"Fine." Venatus said. "This could be the greatest discovery of the century, though. I hope you know that."

"I understand the significance of this discovery." Augustus replied. "But what we have to consider is what practical use this girl could have. Anyone with Tyranid DNA would be considered worse than most mutants, so to keep her alive, we need to clearly demonstrate why she is useful."

"And why is it so important that we keep her alive?" Maren asked. "She is a mutant, after all."

"Because I'm sure she is useful." Augustus said. "If nothing else, she changes the paradigm in which we view the Tyranids. Given how much progress Hive Fleet Leviathan is making, that is something we need. Badly."

"But how will she stop the advance of the Tyranids?" Venatus said. "That seems like quite the logical jump."

"I haven't figured that part out yet." Augustus said. "But in the meantime, we have business to do. Fighting the enemies of mankind doesn't pay for itself. Now, if we're going to make any changes with this Tyranid girl, we'll need funds. Anyone got any ideas?"

Venatus opened a holographic map of the Seraphim sector. It consisted of a pirate-infested cluster of stars and independent systems in Ultima Segmentum functionally beyond the control of the Imperium of Man, and was ripe with business opportunities for those unafraid to take risks.

"We could go escort fuel tankers flying from the platforms on Graturn VII." Venatus said. "Escort fees are normally high for even frigate-weight escorts. With our lance capability, we could protect a whole convoy and charge a higher rate. Risk is low."

"But so is the reward." Maren said. "Autruna still produces Vernal Crystals, but they're illegal and in high demand pretty much everywhere else in the sector. We pick up a cargo of energy cells or something else that merits being transported on a warship on the way there, fly by Autruna and pick up a few hundred chests of crystals, then stop somewhere on the other side of the sector and unload. Easy work for a fortune."

"Vernal Crystal... Don't Slaaneshi cultists love that stuff?" Augusts said. "Why would we want to support that sort of thing?"

"Because it lets us know where the cultists are." Maren said. "Then we come charging in and whip out the cult, and hand over the drugs, which we're already been paid for, to the proper authorities."

"I like the idea." Augustus said. "Cross reference demand for Vernal Crystal and know Chaos Cult activity on the map."

Venatus closed his eyes, and the map blinked out for a second. When it came back, the stars were all glowing a wide variety of colors, though one stood out in bright red.

"There." Augustus said, pointing. "The Sernsiwui system. Know cult activity and a high demand for Crystal, among other drugs. I think we've got a winner. Call the helm and tell them to set a course of the nearest industrial world."

[x]

"So this is the residential area where most of the retinue stays." Simon said, opening the armored hatch leading to retinue's sanctum. "It's mostly unoccupied, so you can pick just about any of the rooms."

The pair were standing in a large circular room with a variety of furnishings and fittings. There was a massive holovid display with chairs, a kitchenette, a small shrine, and a variety of other domestic areas scattered seemingly at random throughout the large room. An elevated walkway ran around the rim of the room, with over a dozen doors leading off of it.

"Ohh." Sara said, looking up at the raised walkway. "How do we get up there?"

"Over here." Simon said, opening a side door leading to a narrow staircase.

The pair walked up the staircase and out onto the balcony. As she exited the stairwell, Sara gasped and ran over to the railing.

"Wow." She breathed. "So I can pick any of these rooms?"

"Yeah, pretty much." Simon said. "Just any not the occupied ones. Still, this room was never full, and we lost most of the retinue when Augustus lost his Inquisitor status."

"What do you mean?" Sara asked, turning back toward Simon with a concerned look on her face.

"Well, Augustus kept most of his retinue with him by their own free will." Simon said, with a shrug. "And when he lost his status as an Inquisitor, most of the people he had collected left. Going from Inquisitor to Rogue Trader is a bit of a step down, and most of them didn't think that it worth sticking around."

"But... Why did you stay?" Sara asked.

"I didn't have anywhere else to go." Simon replied, looking down. "My home planet... Isn't a very nice place to live anymore."

Sara tilted her head. "Why?"

Simon paused for a moment, then took a deep breath. "Orks." He said finally. "Orks invaded when I was just a kid. The PDF fought back against them, but a little agri-world in the middle of some nowhere sector couldn't raise a PDF able to fight back against an Ork invasion of that size. We were losing ground, and the Orks were multiplying. Then Inquisitor Augustus showed up. He was looking for a relic, and he still won't tell me what, but that required that he push back against the Orks. He brought a few thousand Inquisitorial Stormtroopers and a few regiments of the Guard with him, and that turned the tide."

"But that's good, right?" Sara said, confusion evident in her voice.

"Yeah, but that just encouraged one of the Ork leaders, a partially destructive Mekboy named Defhamma. He broke out some really nasty weapons and trashed the major population centers." Simon said. "Not that that mattered to me. My village had been trashed the first night Augustus showed up. It was the first place he landed, actually. He saved me. I was just some kid whose Psychic power had just awakened wandering through the wreckage. He took me under his wing and... Well, here I am."

"I see." Sara said. "That's really sad."

"It's not all that uncommon, though." Simon said. "I mean, ever since-:" Simon cut short. He didn't think he was quite ready to tell Sara about the Tyranids just yet. "Well, it's been going on as long as anyone can remember."

"But... I'm kind of glad that all that happened." Sara said slowly. "I mean, if it hadn't, I never would have met you. And I'm very glad that we met."

"What... What do you mean?" Simon said.

Sara looked down. "Nothing. Sorry. Anyway, so about these rooms?"

"Yeah, we should get on that. If we-"

Simon was cut off by a sudden blaring alarm.

"That's the Warp Jump alert!" Simon said. "Frak." He looked around. "We need to get into my room."

"Why?"

"It's specially shielded." Simon said, taking off in a run down the elevated walkway. "As a decent psyker, I'm a bit sensitive to Warp Jumps. When I'm not wearing my psychic hood, they can be pretty nasty."

"Oh." Sara said, running after Simon.

The pair dashed to a door approximately halfway around the ring. Simon placed his hand on the bronzed doorknob, which flashed under his hand. He turned the knob, and the door open as the ship shuddered beneath him. He darted inside, and Sara shot in after him. Simon slammed the door shut behind them just as the ship shook again, more violently this time.

Simon screamed and fell to his knees, hands on his temples. Sara staggered, pressing her hand into her face. Simon looked up at her, breathing deeply, a grimace stitched across his face.

"You... You're a Psyker too?" He said, between gasps.

"I didn't know either." Sara moaned, shaking her head. "Why do you say that?"

"Because you're suffering from the Warp Jump. Most people don't even notice them." Simon said. "You have to be able to tap into the Warp, and be fairly good at it, before you start to feel them. Suffering from them only starts when you have some serious power."

"I see." Sara said, her voice clearing. "So what does that mean?"

"Well, you'll probably want to start focusing on picking a discipline and practicing defense exercises." Simon said. "After all the trouble I went through to save you, I'd hate to see you get devoured by a daemon."

Sara blushed. "Oh." She said.

"Anyway, this is probably connected to your transformation ability. I wonder if you could transform in an area cut off from the Warp." Simon said.

Neither of them said anything for a few minutes as Sara looked around the room and Simon slowly recovered from the Warp Jump.

The room was decorated in a classical sense, with lots of nul-flame varnished wood and stone visible. Several walls were covered in bookshelves covering a variety of topics, some of which were illegal for discussion on many Imperial worlds. Doors from the main living space led to a study, a Psyker practice chamber, a bathroom, and a well-appointed bedroom.

"I think I've decided." Sara said. "I want to stay here."

"What?" Simon said. "This is my room!"

"But I like it here." Sara said, frowning. "Why can't I stay?"

"Because this is my room." Simon said, pressing his palm into his face.

"And?"

"Just..." Simon took a deep breath. "I need to talk to Augustus. But-"

Sara's stomach growled.

"What was that?" Sara said, hands on her chest, looking around in fear. "Are we under attack?"

"No." Simon said, chuckling. "You're hungry, aren't you?"

"Um... Yes." Sara said.

"Let's go down to the officer's mess and get you something to eat." Simon said. "You haven't eaten since you came off that ship."

[x]

Augustus waited as the door to the Astropathic relay chamber opened. Located near the core of the ship, the critical space was what gave the _Archon of Dawn_ the capability for interstellar communication. Augustus kept a Choir of sixteen Astropaths, giving him a considerable range of real-time contact, and rapid communication with anywhere in the Seraphim sector.

The heavy blast door opened, and Augustus entered and stepped up to the Astropathic relay interface console and sat down as the blast door rumbled shut. Hey keyed in his passphrase, then waited as the retinal scanner and gene sampler confirmed his identity. Once he was allowed to log into the system, a map of the sector showing various news alerts appeared.

Despite losing the perks of his Inquisitor status, Augustus still retained many of the clearances and contacts that he had obtained during his time in the Inquisition, as well as his knack for forming information networks.

It was through one of these networks that he had discovered the cult activity on Sernsiwu. It was also how he had managed to perform enough successful trading to keep both his Grand Cruiser running and the regiment of soldiers and Skitarii the had used to storm the heretek vessel under his employ. It also helped in amortizing the costs of keeping his networks running.

He quickly placed an order for plasma energy systems at the _Archon of Dawn's_ current destination, which were valuable enough to merit transporting on a warship and would provide excellent cover for the crew's real cargo Vernal Crystals.

After that, he began browsing the reports of the ongoing wars the Imperium was currently embroiled in. Hive Fleet Leviathan, which had appeared in the Galaxy last year, was making advances. It was looking to be the largest Hive Fleet yet.

And given how bad the first two had been, the Imperium needed every edge it could get.

Hopefully, he had one.

One of the benefits of being a Rogue Trader was access to truly absurd amounts of money via fully legitimate sources, which in Augustus' case was somewhat augmented by his... acquisition... of every Imperial resource he could get his hands on when he realized that his political opponents had moved to 'grant' his a Warrant of Trade.

With only a single warship to his name, he was still rather poor by Rogue Trader standards, but he still had access to immense resources. True, most of those resources were tied up in various ventures across the Seraphim Sector, but those massive investments gave him influence.

He couldn't simply try to start increasing the toleration of Mutants across the sector as, given the Chaotic tendencies of most mutants, that could lead to disaster. He could pose as the creator of the new strain of Human-Tyranid hybrid, but he doubted that he could create a front that would stand up to the close scrutiny to which he would no doubt be subject. Besides, the huge deviation from established STC methods, that could get him labeled a Heretek.

What would be the best option? Augustus leaned back in his chair and placed his fingers on his chin. He could start spreading word of his discovery, but that might draw the attention of Inquisitors. An overzealous Ordo Xenos Inquisitor could easily purge his discovery, which would be a shame, especially if it got him purged as well.

Then there was the matter of this acolyte. The boy seemed quite intrigued by the hybrid, to say the very least. And see seemed to show a similar degree of interest in him. On one hand, that could make her easier to control, but on the other hand, it could risk compromising his apprentice. He had invested too much in the boy to see him fall now.

Augustus opened a letter template. His best bet was probably to start contacting his agents and alerting them that he had found something big, then supplying them with enough details that they could start preparing the field without giving the concrete proof that would likely draw the interest of the Inquisition.

He began to type.

[x]

"So this is the third officer's mess." Simon said, as he and Sara walked into the massive space.

It was a large room, and though it was smaller than the enlisted messes, it had higher ceilings and _much_ better food. There were a mixture of long tables and small group ones, and it was, like at all hours of the day, very busy. Men and women walked here and there carrying trays of food, or sat at tables talking and enjoying the reprieve from their duties.

"So, where do we get the food?" Sara asked, looked around with wide eyes, her hands clasped.

"Over there." Simon said, pointing towards a long row of windows set in one wall. Workers in white suits with tall hats stood behind the counters, handing out food to the sailors as they approached.

Simon and Sara began to thread their way through the crowd. Sara, still dressed in a medical gown, drew a few looks, but she seemed oblivious to them. Eventually, the pair reached the food windows. There were long tables set out, buffet style, with cold items, and stacks of plates, trays and utensils.

As Simon collected his tray, he glanced over at Sara, who had placed at least five plates on her tray. He raised an eyebrow.

"I'm hungry." She said.

The two walked down the buffet. It appeared to currently be 'breakfast', though given the round-the-clock nature of a starship, what meals were served when changed mostly at the whims of the food service staff. You learned to adapt.

Simon collected a muffin and a donut; he was hungry after using so much psychic power aboard the Heretek vessel. Sara, on the other hand, went for one of everything. As Simon watched, she devoured a muffin with all the speed and ferocity of, well, a Tyranid.

"Usually," He said, "It's customary to wait until you sit down before eating."

"Why?" Sara asked, her mouth still full.

"It's rude and unsanitary." Simon said.

"What do you mean?"

"It spreads germs." Simon said.

"What are those?"

"Tiny creatures that make you sick." Simon explained, wondering how a Tyranid didn't know what germs were. "On a starship, disease can spread quickly, so it's important that everyone maintain good hygiene."

"Oh." Sara said. "I'm sorry."

"It's fine." Simon said. "Anyway, let's get some hot food."

The pair walked over to one of the counters. There were all manner of hot breakfast pastries available, alongside grox steaks, sausages, and Bacon, as well as various other proteins. Simon took a few waffles and some syrup as well as some become, while Sara took a pile of everything.

The two then made their way to an unoccupied table and sat down. Simon began to eat, while Sara literally began digging in to her food. _Where is she putting it? _Simon wondered.

A few minutes after they had begun eating, a young man wearing a work uniform with the pins of an Ensign approached the table.

"Do you mind if I sit here?" He asked.

"No." Simon said. "Sit down."

"Thank you." He said. "I just got transferred, so I'm still learning how things work around here."

"Oh, what's your duty station?" Simon asked.

"I'm on the Bridge." He said.

"Wow." Simon said. "What do you do?"

"I'm a junior support tactical officer." He said. "I help aim one of the lance cannons. What do you do?"

"I work with The Boss." Simon said.

"You're messing with me."

"No, really, I'm part of the retinue." Simon said.

"Did you go on that boarding action?" The Ensign asked.

"Yeah." Simon said.

"How was it?"

"It was pretty rough." Simon said, glancing down. "The Heretek summoned Daemons on us in there. We managed, though."

"Wow." The Ensign said. "I can't imagine dealing with daemons. You know, without a lance battery backing you up."

"I managed. We didn't really find anything of interest, though." Simon said.

"Wait!" Sara interjected. "I thought that-"

"You were wrong." Simon said, cutting her off. "There was nothing on that ship worth mentioning that we haven't already destroyed."

"Oh, I see." The Ensign said. "So would you say the assault was a waste of time?"

"No." Simon responded. "We pulled some information of his cogitators that might let us take down some other Heretek cells."

"Interesting." The Ensign said. "Well, everyone will be glad to hear that the battle wasn't a waste of time. I know I'm glad."

"I don't believe I caught your name." Simon said.

"I'm sorry. I'm Ensign Kale." The Ensign said. "And you are?"

"Simon." Simon said. "Pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise." Kale replied.

"I'm glad to meet you too." Sara said enthusiastically, breaking her silence. "So what do you do on the bridge?"

"Most of the time?" Kale said. "Stand watch and watch the helmsman steer the ship. Occasionally, we perform a status test on the lance. Once we get into combat, I provide one of five targeting solutions for the lance, and the station director picks which one to use based on things a lowly Ensign isn't meant to understand. It's normally a lot quieter than the Drive section, but we were pretty busy when we were disabling the Heretek ship."

"Wow." Sara said. "What's a lance?"

"Ummm." Kale gazed at Sara with a blank look on his face.

"She's new here." Simon said quickly.

"A lance is a massive lightspeed energy weapon for targeting and destroying enemy starships at range." Kale explained, sounding slightly bemused.

"Oh." Sara said, nodding.

As the trio ate, they discussed the various minutia of life aboard the massive _Archon of Dawn_. Kale asked quite a few questions about life as part of a Rogue Trader's retinue, though Simon was generally evasive when answering those. He wasn't really sure how much Augustus would want him to share, but he was relatively certain that Sara was supposed to stay secret.

Eventually, Kale looked down at the wrist chrono. "I have to go. My lunch is almost over."

"It was nice meeting you." Sara said.

"Thank you." Kale responded. "I never thought I'd meet a member of the retinue."

"It's not all it's cracked up to be." Simon said. "Did I mention the part where my face almost got eaten by daemons?"

"Yes," Kale said, chuckling, "But it probably has its upsides."

"Yeah." Simon said. "I guess it does."

[x]

**CODEX:**

Seraphim Sector: A region of space on the fringe of the Imperium, most worlds here have not been part of the Imperium since the Great Crusade, and Imperial control over the sector was lost during the Horus Heresy, as the garrison forces were needed elsewhere and never returned. The region was not yet fully integrated into the Imperium, and the sector became home to a mess of independent worlds, pocket empires, and even Xeno states. The sole connection to the wider world in the sector is the Adeptus Mechanicus, which maintains some influence in the region.

The region is home to several Rogue Traders, who ply their trade on the space lanes without much concern for the laws of the Imperium. They create quite a lot of wealth in the region, but are not adverse to engineering wars between pocket empires for their own profit.

There are several ongoing and potential threats in the Seraphim Sector. Genestealer cults have been rooted on five separate worlds in the sector, three times by Rogue Traders, Including Rogue Trader Augustus. In addition to the potential threat of Tyranids, the Tau have made several overtures into the region, perhaps planning to establish a Sept World far from their main empire, but in a region where the Imperium would find it hard to crush it.

Several world in the region are home to Orks, though it has been decades since a Warboss has managed to gain enough of a following to launch a full-scale WAAAGH! into a neighboring star system.

There are known to be at least three major Webway gates in the sector of sufficient size to accommodate an Eldar Capital ship, though their exact locations are unknown. Nonetheless, Craftworld Eldar have been active in the Seraphim Sector in the past, and rumors persist of other, darker, Eldar launching raids into the region.

Chaos is a constant concern in the Seraphim Sector, far from the guiding light of the Emperor. Cults have broken out on many worlds in the past, but none have yet managed to convert a planet into a Daemon World. Nonetheless, countless lives are lost each year to the machinations of the Ruinous powers in the region, and often it is Rogue Traders protecting their business interests that are the first, and sometimes last, line of defense against the schemes of the dark powers.

Fortunately, there is no Necron presence in the system, and rumors of strange black and green ships moving faster than should be possible are just that, rumors. There is not substance to any of these reports, and believing otherwise is discouraged.

[REDACTED]: This [REDACTED] is [REDACTED] considered a substantial threat to [REDACTED] [REDACTED] by way of [REDACTED]. Given the considerable [REDACTED], it is advisable that [REDACTED]... (Text becomes an illegible mixture of black ink and and erasure marks.)


	3. Chapter 3

The _Archon of Dawn_ coasted silently through the dark of interplanetary space, as it had done for the past several hours. As it approached the rendezvous point, several massive shutters opened, revealing the _Archon of Dawn's_ passive auspex systems. It detected a small ship on course for the rendezvous point. The crew of the ship tripple checked their course, confirming that they were on a path for the meeting point at the proper velocity. They were.

A plasma drive flared in the void, and the ship they were coming to meet changed its course to pull up alongside them. Transfer tubes snaked across space, and the small ship was pulled toward the much large _Archon_.

In one of the hangar bays, Simon, again wearing his vacuum-resistant psyker voidsuit, stood next to Augustus as the transfer of vernal crystal commenced. A small fortune had been transferred to the Autrunan Crystal runners in exchange for the massive amount of Vernal Crystal that was now being loaded onto the _Archon of Dawn_. It was a considerable investment, but the crystals would fetch more than ten times there Autruna market price in Sernsiwui.

That, of course, assuming that the group could move the product and evade the Sernsiwui authorities long enough to launch their counterstrike. This clandestine, deep-space meeting was part of that; even if someone pulled the ship's log of ports, it wouldn't show them as having docked at Autruna.

Of course, they never intended to dock at Sernsiwui to unload their product. They would perform a similar deep-space docking to transfer the Vernal Crystal and receive their payment. After giving it a few days to percolate through the planet's underworld, they would use the beacons planted in the drug supply to identify likely cult strong points and raid them. From there, they would interrogate the prisons to gain the information needed to roll up as much of the cult as possible.

_It's a good plan._ Simon assured himself, watching as the first of the chests of Vernal Crystal began to emerge from the transport tubes. The crystal was packaged in chests, each containing one hundred kilograms of the extremely potent drug. That was supposed to be around half a million 'hits' of the drug, but given the habits of Slaaneshi cultists, each chest would probably supply significantly less than that.

Sara stood on the other side of Simon, watching the transfer of drugs, eyes wide.

"So why are we doing this, again?" She asked.

"Because we need money." Maren said.

Simon turned around. He hadn't noticed her presence behind him. The woman was a master of coming and going mysteriously. He sighed.

"Also, we are doing this in order to track down a Chaos Cult on another planet." Simon explained. "This particular cult has a fondness for drugs of all types, and by selling them those drugs, laced with tracker beacons, we can follow the drugs and locate where the cult's bases of operation are. Then we can take them down."

"Oh." Sara said. "What do we do then?"

"After that?" Simon said. "We purge everyone corrupted by the cult. Then we negotiate an appropriate reward with the planetary government, collect a bunch of money, and leave."

"So that's it?" Sara asked. "We don't... I don't know... I'm not really sure."

"We don't help with the rebuild, if that's what you're asking." Simon said, shaking his head. "We don't have an interest on this planet, and once it's been purged of its heresy, it's not really our problem anymore."

"Okay." Sara said. "Something about that just feels wrong, somehow."

"Yeah, I know what you mean." Simon said. "But sometimes, usually in this crazy universe, you can't save everyone. We aren't heroes here."

"What do you mean?" Sara said, clasping her hands together. "You've told me so much about what you and Augustus and Maren and Venatus have done. How are you not heroes?"

"We've failed too many times to count." Simon said. "Worlds have burned, or been crushed under the heel of the Imperial Guard because of those failures. Ask Agustus about Sekerion Prime sometime. If we were heroes, we would have been able to stop that. Warp, if we were heroes, we wouldn't have _caused_ that little incident. So no, we aren't heroes."

"Oh." Sara said. "But still, haven't you done a lot of good, too?"

"I suppose." Simon muttered.

They continued to watch in silence as the remaining chest of drugs were loaded into the ship. The transport tubes retracted back into the void, and deckhands moved into position to begin moving the chests deeper into the vessel.

As soon as the last crate was onboard, Simon turned and began to make his way back to his quarters for the Warp Jump.

[x]

A week later, the _Archon of Dawn_ emerged from the Warp in a flash of light and a shower of exotic radiation. It was much further from the Sernsiwui system than was strictly necessary, the better to make a clandestine contact. The massive vessel fired its maneuvering thrusters, then its drives flared, and it began to accelerate away from the point of its emergence. Their exit from the Warp would be detected almost immediately, but it would take hours for the light from their drives to reach the planet, by which time they would be long gone.

A small transport craft launched from one of the _Archon's_ launch bays. It cruised for about an hour before it reached a pre-arranged contact point. The transport fired a tight-beam contact laser toward another point, waited for the lightspeed delay, then saw a flash of acknowledgement.

A second ship, much larger than the 'tiny' transport, fired its drives briefly and began to drift toward the _Archon's_ boat. Cables shot across the void, and contact was established.

On the 'bridge' of the transporter, Simon took a deep breath of recycled air from his void suit as the contact cables connected. The suit was not merely a precaution in the event he lost pressure, but was also intended to protect his identity from the dealers.

He had a large metla charge aboard the ship that would destroy the drugs, the ship, and him if the drug dealers killed him, and the _Archon of Dawn_ was waiting at the extreme edge of her lance range, ready to fry the drug dealers if they tried something more elaborate.

However, that was a cold comfort. Is his 'trade partners' wanted to, they could easily destroy him and stand a good chance of escaping before the _Archon_ could destroy them.

The comm link crackled to life. "Show us the product." The voice on the other side said.

Simon pressed a button on his console, sending a live image of the drugs in the hold to the dealers on the other ship.

"Open the third chest in the fifth row from the left." The dealers' spokesman said.

Simon bent down to his vox receiver. "Do it." He said.

A few seconds, a servitor walked into the room filled with drug chests, approached the requested chest, and opened it, revealing the lustrous red crystals within.

"Very well." The speaker said. "I'm coming aboard. I'm bringing ten of my heavies with me. I hope you don't object."

"Fine." Simon said. Even a vessel this small had over a dozen Armsmen aboard, and he trusted a disciplined ex-Navy Armsman to be more than a match for a criminal heavy.

The docking hatches connected, and the airlocks hissed as pressure was equalized. Simon stood up from his console and walked over to the airlock door, waiting for the dealer to enter.

The door opened slowly, revealing a man in a truly ostentatious costume, enough to make a Rogue Trader feel overwhelmed. He was accompanied by ten seemingly identical tall, scared men, all carrying autoguns.

The pair of Armsmen on the deck stepped protectively in front of Simon. Simon took a deep breath and stepped forward.

"As agreed, you will hand over the payment before the transfer of product." Simon said, trying his best to sound confident.

He had faced down Xeno horrors and Daemons from beyond reality. Why was he afraid of some drug dealers?

"There's been a change of plans." The dealer said. "You will transfer half of the product before we transfer any currency."

"That is not acceptable." Simon replied.

"Then we are at an impasse."

"Give men half the money, and I will give you the drugs." Simon suggested. "Then you give me the other half when the transfer is complete."

"I'll give you a third now." The dealer responded.

Simon frowned. Augustus had told him to expect posturing power negotiations, but also told him not to push it too far, lest he reveal that he had an ace in the hole in the form of the _Archon of Dawn_.

"Fine." Simon said. "Make the transfer."

The pirate raised his wrist to his mouth and muttered something that sounded like High Gothic. Simon looked down at his wristcomp, where a small light blinked, confirming the receipt and authenticity of the transfer.

"Commence loading." Simon said.

The door at the back of the cargo bay opened, and a pair of Servitors walked out, carry a chest of Vernal Crystal between them. As they plodded into the chamber, second pair followed, then another. Soon, a steady stream of Servitors was running between the cargo bay and the dealer's end of the transfer tube.

Neither Simon nor the dealer said anything as the crystal was unloaded. They simply stated at each other. Simon had to mentally restrain himself from fingering the power sword clamped to his void suit, or the pistol clamped to his thigh. His armsmen did a good job of hiding it, but he could tell that they were nervous too. No one liked being outnumbered.

Several more minutes passed, and eventually the last chest was moved out of the hold. Simon wait for the dealer to say something.

As the silence became deafening, Simon finally spoke. "The product is aboard your ship." He said.

"I suppose you're right." The dealer respond. "Very well."

The dealer paused for a moment, then transferred the remaining funds to Simon.

"Our business is concluded." The dealer declared. "I hope our paths do not cross again."

With that, the man turned and left. A second after the airlock door hissed shut, Simon smiled.

"I doubt that will be the case."

[x]

As Simon stepped down from the cockpit door on the transport door, Sara rushed toward him. She was currently wearing a standard crew suit, minus the helmet, and a look on concern was etched across her features.

"I was so worried!" She said. "Flying off to meet those drug dealers... why did you do that?"

"Because Augusts asked me to." Simon said. "He said we needed to send someone high ranked in our organization, in case they bothered to check my identity. Otherwise, they wouldn't take us seriously."

"Oh." Sara said. "But still, couldn't someone else have gone?"

"But what if everyone sent someone else in their place?" Simon asked.

"Then I guess... oh." Sara responded, realization dawning on her face. "Right. But still, why did it have to be you?"

"Presumably because I was the best person for the job." Simon said. "I can't fight like Maren or repair machines like Venatus. So if the team lost me, it would be as big a blow as if they lost one of the others."

"I see." Sara said, looking down. "So what do we do now?"

"We'll transfer back into Warp space in a few minutes." Simon said. "Then we'll proceed at a low speed toward the system, giving the drugs some time to circulate. Then we track the drugs, hit cult strong points, grab the leaders, interrogate them, and hit the remaining Cult targets."

"How long until we reach the planet?" Sara asked.

"For us?" Simon said. "About twelve hours. I'm going to get some sleep. Things are going to be pretty busy once we arrive.

[x]

"Transfer Orbit complete." The Helmsman said. "We are now in stable orbit."

"Very good." Augustus said from his command throne on the bridge of the _Archon of Dawn_. "Direct power to the Auspex systems and prepare to scan.

The Bridge of the _Archon of Dawn_ was a massive, vaulted space, with Augustus' command throne on a raised dais in the center, surrounded by concentric rings of tech specialists at consoles, hardwired servitors, and Ship's officers. It was kept fairly cold, to better the operation of the ship's cogitators, and decorated in a classic Imperial style, with the common gold fittings and statues in vaults in the corner.

His retinue, including Sara the Tyranid, sat at stations surrounding his command throne, analyzing the data that came in as they saw fit.

"Powering up Auspex Arrays." The sensor tech said. "Commencing scan."

A massive holographic globe representing the planet below appeared in the air in front of Augustus' command throne. A few seconds later, red dots began to appear on the globe.

"We are getting returns." The sensor tech said.

"I'm overlaying the returns with population density and surface feature maps." Simon said.

"Comparing surface scan returns with distribution of drug returns." Maren said.

"Interfacing and examining statistical probabilities of Cult locations." Venatus said, his voice even more monotone than usual. "Eliminating statistical improbabilities."

The conversation, as it was, continued in that vain for over an hour. Servants circulated carrying food and drink to the techs, and one by one, yellow arrows appeared on the holographic display indicating probable cult locations.

Eventually, the _Archon of Dawn_ completed its orbit and powered down its auspex arrays.

"Tell the Storm Troopers to board the Aeronautica and prepare to deploy." Augustus ordered.

"Already done." Maren said. "I had them start loading up as soon as we were half way done with the scan."

"Very good." Augustus said. "Ready my shuttle. I'm going down myself."

[x]

The modified gun cutter soared down through the atmosphere, targeting the warehouse complex housing the cult drug storage facility.

Simon was in his armored void suit, carrying a high-quality plasma rifle, his staff propped up next to him. Maren sat next to him, blade on her lap. Venatus was overseeing the piloting of the shuttle, and Augustus sat behind Simon in his power armor. The rest of the transport capacity of the shuttle was filled with stormtroopers.

"Alright, gentlemen." The stormtrooper captain said, standing up in the back of the shuttle bay. "We're going in cold on this one, so we have no way of knowing exactly what we're going to run into. Thermal scans say we're looking at fifty-some people in there, but we have no idea how many of them are going to be combatants. They're probably going to be hopped up on crystal, so don't forget to double tap. Look out for traps, ambushes, and heretics."

Simon checked his wristcomp. The shuttle was almost at the ground. They were landing almost directly on top of the warehouses, so the distance to the assault would be minimal. Simon muttered a short prayer to the Emperor, begging for success and safety in the coming battle.

With a jolt, the shuttle landed. The assault ramp dropped, and the stormtroopers charged out, hot shot guns at the ready. Simon grabbed his staff, carrying it in his right hand and his plasma gun in his left, and dashed out of the shuttle after the stormtroopers.

The street was empty. Apparently, the civilians had seen the shuttle coming and fled. They had landed in an open intersection just a few buildings down from the warehouse complex.

The Stormtroopers had already formed a cordon around the shuttle ramp, and the second echelon of troopers from the ship were advancing down the street, guns at their shoulders.

Simon began to walk down the street behind the stormtroopers. Maren was next to him, sword and pistol in hand, and Augustus was near the point, resplendent in his power armor. Venatus was just behind him, a forest of weaponized mechadendrites at the ready around him.

They reached the first warehouse, and the stormtroopers took up positions around the cargo door. Augustus walked up and raised his oversized pistol.

"In the name of the Holy God Emperor of Mankind, I claim entrance to these premises." He declared, and pulled the trigger.

With a keening sound, the door exploded inward, the cheap strips of metal disintegrating under the force of Augustus' archeotech weapon. The stormtroopers surged inward, pointing guns everywhere and shouting.

Simon followed on the heels of the stormtroopers, raising his plasma gun as he crossed the threshold of the warehouse. As he did so, something foul struck his psychic senses. It was a sense of hedonism and lust, of foul acts and dark rituals committed on these premises. He muttered a word of power and warded himself against the dark presences, then continued inward.

Just in time for a firestorm to erupt.

Figures dressed in rags sprung from the shadows of the crates and piles of refuse filling the interior of the warehouse and brandishing a variety of weapons. The stormtroopers reacted almost before the cultists had a chance to open fire, the ruby red beams of their hotshot lasguns cutting into the cultists.

As fountains of gore and steam exploded from ex-cultists, their surviving comrades opened fire with a variety of weapons. A stubber round bounced of Simon's cuirass.

He whirled around and reached out with his psychic power, unleashing a burst of pyromancy. A group of cultists, including the one who had shot them, screamed as, for them, the Long War ended in fire.

As a pair of stormtroopers went down to bursts of lasgun fire, Simon fired a psychic lance at the origins of the attack. At the same time, he reached out with his psychic senses and tried to analyze the battlefield.

Almost immediately, he felt the presences of the thirty-three surviving stormtroopers of the company, as well as at least a like number of cultists surrounding them.

Another stormtrooper went down. _We need to find some cover! _Simon thought, then looked up. _Or maybe I could make some_.

Simon focused and reached upwards with his psychic power. He grabbed on to the regions of rotten ceiling forming a border around the stormtroopers, then flexed his telekinetic muscles. At the same time, he projected a conical forcefield over the stormtroopers and retinue.

With a creek, the ceiling came down, tons of wood, metal, and ceramic crashing down against Simon's barriers. The mess of material slid down the barrier, forming a low wall around the stormtroopers.

Simon dropped his telekinetic field. Almost immediately, the Stormtroopers dropped prone against the ring of debris, seeking cover against the storm of fire the cultist were throwing down. As Simon sought cover next to a Stormtrooper heavy weapons team calmly setting up a heavy bolter, he expanded his psychic senses again.

The heavy bolter next to him opened fire as the cultists continued to exchange fire with the stormtroopers. As Simon's awareness reached the next building over, he stopped, shocked. At least a hundred cultists were rushing toward the building, hate and corruption filling their minds.

_Where did they come from_? Simon wondered. The thermal scans were supposed to have revealed every living thing in the buildings. The cultists had a trump card.

Fortunately, so did Simon.

He hadn't wanted to do this, as the risk of revealing unsavory facts was rather high, but it seemed that there was no choice.

Simon pressed a button on his Wristcomp and smiled.

[x]

Back at the shuttle, Sara looked up at a blinking light on the dashboard of the co-pilot's seat.

_Simon needs help!_ She thought with a start.

Sara scrambled out of her seat, out of the cockpit, and down the assault ramp. She sprinted towards the warehouse, rather casually moving much faster than the norm for an unaugmented human.

As she approached the warehouses, she heard the sound of lasgun and stubber fire issuing out from the building. She got closer, and was able to make out the forms of the stormtroopers crouching against a ring of debris inside the ruined door.

Oblivious to the occasional projectile streaking toward her out of the door, Sara stopped short and closed her eyes. _Simon needs me_. She thought.

Sara began to glow. Her arms began to split laterally down the middle, separating as she grew taller and bulkier. The hands on her upper pair of arms began to elongate forming her boneswords, and her right hand on the lower pair of arms began to grow into a venom cannon. Her head extended forward as her jaws expanded, and carapace grew over her body as her spinal column extended into a tail.

In under a second, a red and silver Tyranid Warrior stood in front of the warehouse.

Sara lowered her head as her adrenal glands flared, and she shot forward into the warehouse.

[x]

Simon watched as the storm of fire cut out as both sides briefly stopped shooting as the Tyranid creature charged into the warehouse. As the stormtroopers pivoted to engage the creature, she charged forward and leapt over the line of stormtroopers. As she landed, she roared a challenge to the cultists.

One cultist jumped out from behind the crate that he was taking shelter behind and charged Sara, brandishing a rusty sword. She lowered her head and took a step forward. When the cultist was perhaps three meters in front of her, she flung herself forward, twisting around the cultist's attack. Her bonesword flashed, and the cultist went down in a spray of blood.

As the cultist hit the ground, Sara raised her Venom Cannon and fired a bust at another group of cultists. As they went down screaming in what Simon supposed was a mixture of agony and ecstasy, the cultists began leaving their cover _en mass_ to charge Sara.

Once again, she stepped into the charge. Sara swung her boneswords a pair of long horizontal sweeps, slicing into the three lead cultists. Her tail swung out from behind her, its lashing tips raking across the face of a cultist and throwing him to the ground, a bizarre rictus inscribed on his features.

Sara finished the man on the ground off with a stomp, then executed there more cultists with a quick series of vertical chops from her boneswords.

One cultist swung an axe at Sara's back, but it bounced off her thick carapace. Another woman thrust at her armpit with a bayoneted stubber. It found some purchase, but quickly came free when Sara 'pistol'-whipped the heretic with her venom cannon, then followed up with a blow from the thick section of her tail. A quick swipe from her boneswords ended the last of the group of cultists that had been attacking her.

Seconds after the last of the comrades hit the floor, the remaining traitors raised their mish-mash of weapons and opened fire. Most of their shots missed, and most of those that hit bounced off Sara's strong carapace plating. A few shots drew ichor, but Sara seemed undeterred as she raised her Venom cannon began blowing the cultists away.

"Tyranids versus Cultists!" Simon shouted, raising his plasma gun and firing a blast into a cultist who was moving to outflank Sara.

A few of the stormtroopers raised their hotshot lasguns and fired into the remaining cultists. Sara had taken coven behind a crate, a position she had rested from the three cultists lying there in pools of their own blood, and was firing her Venom cannon into the remaining enemies.

As the last of the cultists dropped, Simon focused and began to reach out with his mind. Healing via biomancy was a difficult task, and one that required concentration, but Simon could at least replenish energy and enhance the natural healing process.

So far, they seven stormtroopers were down. Of those seven, three were dead, but Simon could sense life in the other four. Sending a wave of energy through the stormtroopers still standing, Simon turned his mental attention to the wounded. He began filtering Warp energy through his mind, turning it into energy living things could use, and then poured it into the wounded men.

Almost as soon as he had started, a pair of doors at the other end of the large room burst open, revealing a horde of cultists. They charged forward, screaming obscenities against the Emperor and blasphemous prayers to the Dark Gods.

The stormtroopers opened fire, and the cultists did likewise as they charged. A dozen cultists were down before they were halfway to the stormtroopers' position.

The the Retinue sprang into action. A rippling storm of fire erupted from Venatus' mechadendrites, and Maren and Augustus raised their pistols and open fire. Over a dozen further cultists fell, then they were upon stormtroopers line.

The well-trained Imperial soldiers sprang to their feet to engage the enemy, drawing their chainswords. Though they were outnumbered nearly four to one, each stormtrooper fought with much more skill than their adversaries.

Simon focused, drawing on the power of the Warp. He channeled the energy into the material world, distributing it amongst the stormtroopers. Each man suddenly became faster, psychic energy speeding up their movements and perception of the word.

Sara, though cut off from the main body of the force, fought like a daemon. Her boneswords spun and flashed as she moved through the cultists in a vaguely circular pattern, stopping the cultists from effectively surrounding her.

As Maren and Venatus waded into the battle, Simon hung back, maintaining the blessing he was casting on the stormtroopers. He watched, eyes narrow, as the number of psychic presences in the room steadily dropped.

There were somewhere near five liters of blood in the human body, and given that the stormtroopers carried chainswords, they seemed to spill most of it. As the tainted blood of their foes began to cover the floor, the stormtroopers advanced with discipline, the thinning numbers of their foes allowing them to spread out more without being overwhelmed.

Simon began to advance to keep the stormtroopers within the easy range of his benediction, but the fight was already over. A few cultists turned and began to flee, but the stormtroopers drew their hotshot lasguns and cut them down as they fled.

Simon released the power he was holding, and he felt a wave of exhaustion wash over him. He took a deep breath, then looked at Sara.

She looked like a nightmare. Her red and silver carapace was soaked with blood, and sparks of psychic energy discharged from her boneswords, a clear sign of their recent use. She was slumped slightly, and was clearly breathing heavily.

Sara looked around, seeing the stormtroopers securing the perimeter. Her body began to glow and seemed to fold in on itself, boneswords and carapace collapsing away to abstraction. Blood fell around her like rain for a moment as the carapace it covered disappeared, then a naked girl fell to her knees in middle of a pool of blood, gasping.

Simon reached into a pouch on his armor and removed a fold-up gown he had prepared for the occasion. He walked toward Sara, a smile on his face.

[x]

"I don't know how I can ever repay you!" The President of Sernsiwui said, his rolls of fat bouncing as he gestured empathetically. "That cult could have killed everyone on this planet! I still don't know how you managed to do it, but thank you for rooting it out. How can we possibly thank you?"

"The trade routes I want to run through here would be a good place to start, and then maybe the cash reward would be a good second step." Augustus said. "After that, well, I can always use more lucrative assets. A few shares in you gas mines would not go amiss."

"Yes, yes, of course." The governor said. "That is all quite reasonable."

"And to prevent this from happening again, you might consider hiring the services of a security contractor. I know a few very good ones, but if..."

"That would be wonderful!" The president said, waving his hands. "I'm sure we could all sleep better if we had some experienced security personnel on world. The idea of a cult here, of all places..."

Sara watched as Augustus and the President began discussing future security measures. Several scribes approached the pair and began discussing specifics. She turned toward Simon, who was watching with interest.

"Do you understand what they're talking about?" Sara asked.

"Not entirely." Simon respond. "I know Augustus is trying to get the Sernsiwui President to take the plunge and hire Sentinel Security, which we happen to own. They're not cheap, though, but they're pretty much the best."

"I see." Sara said. "But we benefit if he hires them, right?"

"Yes, but we benefit either way." Simon said. "The cash reward for taking down a secret cult of this size is enough to buy a small starship, and over time the trade routes and gas mines will be worth even more."

"Okay." Sara said. "So what are they talking about now?"

"They're negotiating." Simon explained. "You can't settle every disagreement by fighting. So now they're talking about how much the services we rendered the planet are worth, and what exact amounts would be appropriate for the reward."

"Um, yeah, about that." Sara said. "Why did we have to kill all those cultists? I mean, I get that they were bad, but why couldn't we have negotiated with them?"

"Short answer?" Simon said. "Because they were crazy. Chaos twisted their minds. Once you reach a certain stage in the cult, you can't be reasoned with. They would have infected others with their madness, and they needed to be put down before that could happen."

"Oh." Sara said. "That seems... sad."

Simon sighed. "It is, but that's the way of this world. Faith in the Emperor is the only safe path."

"Um... yeah." Sara said.

"Anyway, there's a space hulk that's been popping a few dozen light years back toward Imperial space." Simon said. "I think we're going to go look into that next. We almost certainly won't be fighting humans, so you don't have to worry about that."


	4. Chapter 4

As he advanced down the corridor of the Space Hulk, Simon could hear his breathing in the helmet of his armored Void Suit. The armor on the suit would provide scant protection against the claws of genestealers.

And there were certainly genestealers on this Space Hulk. Other groups had encountered them, and that was the whole reason they were there, to test out Sara's ability to disrupt the synaptic connections between Tyranid organisms. Augustus had decided that genestealers would be a good place to start, as they were usually disconnected from the main Tyranid Hive Mind.

They were walking doube-file down the hallway. Four stormtroopers were leading the formation, with Simon and Maren behind them. Sara was behind them in there Tyranid Warrior from, wearing a specially modified mess of Void Suits Venatus had fabricated for her. Behind her were Augustus and Venatus, then six more stormtroopers.

The Stormtroopers were draw from the same group that had seen Sara in the warehouse. They had been sworn to silence on the matter, though Simon had talked to each member of the group separately. Their reactions had been universally suspicious, though their suspicion was tempered somewhat by the fact that Sara had arguably turned the tide in the battle with the Cultists.

Now, they were slowly working their way through an outer layer of a Space Hulk. They had detected an active power reading in this particular mostly-intact ship, so that was where they were focusing their efforts. They were getting close to the power reading, so everyone was on guard.

One of the stormtroopers holding a motion detector stopped short and held up a hand. The rest of the squad immediately halted, raising their weapons.

"I have contacts." He sent over the squad. "Three, five, coming this way from the front. They're..."

Simon prepared himself to draw on the power of the Warp as the trooper paused.

"They're on top of us?" The stormtrooper said. "Maybe it's an error. This thing says that they're-"

Simon caught a flash of motion out of the corner of his eye. As he looked upward, he saw a set of claws slash through the material of the ceiling.

Two things happened at once. Genestealer claws flashed through the ceiling, collapsing it and sending the monsters raining down on the squad. Simon threw out a mental shockwave, momentarily stunning at least some of the genestealers.

As genestealers fell on the squad amid the ruins of the ceiling, the stormtroopers tried desperately to bring their short carbines to bear on the genestealers. Two of the humans and one of the monsters were down before they knew what was going on.

One of the genestealers fell next to Simon. He channeled power into his Staff and brought it down on the creature's head. Psychic energy flared, and Simon felt something give.

As he marshalled further psychic power, he watched as the two remaining lead stormtroopers were slashed apart in eerie silence. Just as the head of the last man separated from his body, Simon fired a bolt of witchfire, knocking the genestealer back in a burst of eldritch light.

At the same time, Venatus caught a falling genestealer in his mechadendrites and tore it apart. A fourth genestealer dropped on the rear guard of stormtroopers, Augustus whirled around, leveled his Archeotech pistol and fired, destroying the genestealer.

Simon looked up and spotted another genestealer about to leap down on the group.

"Sara, now!" Simon sent.

Sara looked up at the approaching genestealer.

The creature approached the edge of the hole in the ceiling and jumped.

Simon raised his staff as the genestealer fell.

The creature hit the ground and collapsed, twitching.

"Um... what do I do now?" Sara asked. "I think I did it."

"Try to make it do something." Simon said.

Sara closed her eyes and focused on the Genestealer. She tried for several minutes to make it stand, or even move a claw, but all it did was twitch. After several minutes, Augustus raised his pistol and fired a blast into the genestealer.

"She wasn't going to control it any time soon." Augustus explained. "And we're still in a combat zone. We need to capture one of these things and work on this in a controlled environment."

"Does that mean the mission's over?" Simon asked.

"No." Augustus said. "We still need to figure out what is producing the power signature. We need to meet up with another team and keep moving."

"Alright." Simon said, glancing down at his wristcomp. "It shouldn't be too much further, and there's another team nearby. Let's keep moving."

After meeting up with the unbloodied team of stormtroopers, the group continued their advance, eventually coming to what looked like an internal airlock. Two stormtroopers were moving forward with Melta bombs when Venatus spoke.

"Do not destroy the airlock." He warned. "I am registering atmosphere beyond this door. Valuable artifacts may be destroyed if we compromise the pressure seal."

"Can you get the door open?" Augustus asked.

"Affirmative." Venatus said, approaching the door and extending his mechadendrites.

Venatus removed a panel from the control terminal of the airlock and began to interface with it, sparks flying from the ancient machinery. After a few minutes, the airlock began to slide open.

The group filed into the airlock. Simon looked around nervously as Venatus stepped into the chamber and began working on the internal control panel. What could be waiting for them on the other side? He raised his plasma gun as the internal door slid open.

He was greeted by a wall of wards. Shimmering symbols hung in the air in front of the exit to the airlock, forming what appeared to be a hexagrammic wall against malignant Warp entities.

Simon held up his hand, and the entire squad froze.

"Wards." Simon said. "Lots of them."

"Can you disarm them?" Augustus respond.

"I think so." Simon said, reaching out with his psychic power. "Give me a second."

That wards were powerful, but they were also old. Much of the power they had once been vested with had faded, and once he realized that, Simon was able to unravel the weaves very quickly. As the last of the symbols in the wall ahead of them faded, Simon waved the squad forward. They walked for a few minutes without incident.

"We are closing on the location of the power source." Venatus said, gesturing with a mechadendrite at a bulkhead set into the wall. "It should be just beyond this hatch."

"Simon? Anything?" Augustus asked.

Simon shook his head. "I'm not reading anything."

"Venatus, open it up." Augustus commanded.

Venatus extended a servo-arm tipped with a plasma cutter towards the door. Sparks flew as the jet of superheated material touched the door, which began to glow cherry red as Venatus passed his plasma cutter around its edge.

After about a minute of cutting, Venatus kicked the hatch in, knocking to the floor with a clang.

The squad began to advance through the door. They fanned out into the large open space beyond the door, the lights mounted on their Void Suits wholly insufficient in piercing the darkness filling the chamber. Venatus activated several powerful lights on his harness, but it still was barely enough to see by.

Somehow, Simon found himself near the front of the formation. Thus, he was the first to stumble on one of the devices. It was a box, about three meters long, that rose out of the floor about up to waist height, with a cylinder reaching half again as high lying nestled in the box running most of the length of the box.

The cylinder was made of an opaque glassy material, and the rest of it was made of the same dull metal as the rest of the ship's surfaces.

And the whole thing was radiating a power signature.

Simon reached out with his Psychic senses. The stasis chamber was warded with archaic versions of what Simon recognized as benign wards against intrusion and Warp entities. As he examined the device more closely, he spotted something that made his blood run cold.

Embossed on the top of the cylinder was the seal of an empty sunburst.

The symbol of the Thousand Sons Legion Astartes.

Before the Horus Heresy.

Simon opened a secure comms channel to Augustus. "Sir, I think you need to see this."

"What is it?" Augustus asked as he approached.

"Sir, I found the power source." Simon explained. "And it's engraved with the symbol of the Thousand Sons. Pre-Heresy, sir."

Augustus dashed across the room toward the stasis pod. He looked down at it, his expression impossible to judge behind his armored helm.

"Venatus, get over here." Augustus sent over the squad network. "Call in another platoon of stormtroopers."

[x]

Fifteen minutes later, nearly forty stormtroopers formed a half-circle around the stasis pod. Venatus knelt before the device, servo-arms and Mechadendrites interfaced with the machinery he had exposed at the base of the stasis tube.

"Anything?" Augustus said.

"The internal chronometer on this device is nonfunctional." Venatus responded. "However, judging by the particle buildup on the stasis field, it has been active for centuries, at a minimum."

"Does that mean this isn't a pre-Heresy Marine device?" Sara asked. "Simon said that the Horus Heresy was ten thousand years ago."

"Not necessarily." Augustus said. "A space hulk spends much of its time in the Warp, where time flows much more slowly. A few centuries would be about right if this device has been active since the Hersey."

"Huh." Sara said. "This is confusing."

"I've almost deactivated the stasis field." Venatus said. "Stand ready."

The surface of the opaque glass top of the stasis field became lighter, and misty patterns began to appear on its surface. There was a hissing sound, and the glass top of the stasis tube began to split down the middle as it opened.

Mist began to pour out of the widening gap between the sections of glass, and within seconds, the quarter-sections of glass had retracted all the way, revealing the fog-shrouded interior of the stasis tube.

Nothing happened.

Augustus looked down at the pod, then gestured Simon forward.

Raising a psychic shield around himself, Simon walked toward the stasis pod and looked down into its fog-shrouded interior.

As the mist cleared, Simon saw that the interior of the Stasis pod, scaled for an Astartes, was covered in cylinders, each about sixty centimeters long and perhaps twelve centimeters across, with a handle attached to one end.

Simon reached out with his psychic senses and examined the inside of the pod. Nothing inside seemed to be tainted, but there were tiny psychically reactive specks inside each of the cylinders. Simon tallied them quickly, he counted fifty per cylinder.

"What are these?" He muttered.

Augustus stepped up next to him and looked down at the contents of the stasis pod.

"I have no idea." Augustus muttered.

Venatus stood up from the control panel of the stasis pod and joined Augustus and Simon.

"Cryogenic storage capsules." The techpriest said. "Used to maintain small samples of organic material for long periods of time."

"What would be in them?" Simon asked.

"I would need to check their labels." Venatus said. He paused for a moment. "I don't detect any traps. It should be safe to remove one."

"Should I?" Simon asked.

"Do it." Augustus said.

Simon reached down and picked up one of the cryogenic capsules, lifting it into the air. It was made of a pristine white material, with several lines running down its length.

Venatus extended several mechadendrites toward the cylinder and began scanning it. Several moments passed before he spoke. When he did, it was a shallow, breathless tone.

"By the Omnissiah." He said. "It's Gene Seed. Of the XV Legio Astartes."

Everyone was silent for a moment. Then Maren, who had been silent for most of the proceedings, spoke.

"The XV Legion were traitors, were they not?" She said. "We should destroy this Gene Seed and leave this place."

"I'm not sure-" Simon began, "Wait. Do you hear that?"

A deep clanging sound was echoing out of the open door of the room with the rhythm of footsteps. Slowly, every member of the group began to turn around.

Walking in through the unusually high door of the room was a Contemptor Dreadnought. It stood three times the height of a man, with a massive power fist making up one arm and an Assault Cannon on the other. The symbol of the Thousand Sons was emblazoned on his frontal plate.

"WHY DO YOU SEEK TO DESTROY THE ESSENCE OF MY BROTHERS?" The Dreadnought boomed. "WHY DO YOU SPEAK OF THE XV LEGIO ASTARTES AS TRAITORS?"

"You mean you don't know?" Simon muttered, "The Thousand Sons turned to Chaos in the face of the Space Wolves' attack on Prospero."

The Dreadnought took a step back. "THE SONS BETRAYED THE IMPERIUM?"

Simon nodded.

"THEN IT IS AS WE FEARED." The Dreadnought said. "AND I AM THE LAST OF MY LEGION. TELL ME WHAT HAS TRANSPIRED AS I SLEPT."

"That... might take a while." Simon said. "See, the betrayal of the Thousand Sons was ten thousand years ago."

"SO LONG? I-" The Dreadnought seemed to hesitate. "IT IS OF NO CONSEQUENCE. WHAT ARE YOUR INTENTIONS TOWARD THE GENE SEED? I SHALL NOT ALLOW YOU TO DESTROY IT."

"We will not." Augustus said. "What we will do with it remains to be seen."

Simon's comm crackled to life the second Augustus finished speaking. "Check if he's lying." Augustus ordered.

"IF YOU INTENTIONS ARE BENEVOLENT, THEN TELL ME OF THE FATE OF MY LEGION."

Augustus took a deep breath. "It all began when Magnus the Red attempted to warn the Emperor of Horus' treachery. However, this violated the Emperor's decree at the Council of Nikaea, and..."

[x]

"I SEE." The Dreadnought said. "THIS MUST NOT STAND. MY LEGION MUST BE REBUILT."

"The resources required to found a Chapter of Space Marines are considerable." Augustus said. "I am a man of considerable resources, but that would be beyond my grasp."

"THIS SHIP CARRIES A CONSIDERABLE AMOUNT OF ASTARTES WARGEAR."

"But how would we train the Marines? Who would implant the Gene seed?" Simon asked.

"I CARRY FULL RECORDS ON THE IMPLANTATION OF GENE SEED AND TRAINING MANUALS FOR THE THOUSAND SONS LEGION."

"You just carry those around?" Simon muttered.

"IT SEEMED... NECESSARY."

"Still. How do we know we can trust you?" Augustus asked. "The Thousand Sons are traitors, after all, and are renowned for their guile."

"I DIDN'T ATTACK YOU ON SIGHT." The Dreadnought said. "AND BESIDES, YOU WOULD HAVE FULL CONTROL OVER THE TRAINING OF THE NEW MARINES. YOU COULD ENSURE THAT I DID NOT INDOCTRINATE ANY OF THEM TO CHAOS, WERE I TO BE A TRAITOR."

"He's not lying." Simon sent. "And he's making no effort to hide his intentions. I think we can trust him, or at least go along with his plan for now."

"Fine." Augustus said out loud. "But first, I want to see this wargear. And on the way, you're going to tell us your story. Gather up this gene seed."

The stormtroopers each loaded a tube of gene seed onto their backpack locks, then took up formation as the group marched out, the ancient Dreadnought at the head.

"I WAS STATIONED AT A TERTIARY ARMORY ON PROSPERO WHEN THE SPACE WOLVES ARRIVED." The Dreadnought began. "WHEN THE WOLVES ARRIVED, MANGUS SHUT DOWN THE PLANETARY DEFENSE GRID. AS THE WOLVES BEGAN REDUCING THE ORBITAL FORTS, THE COMMANDER OF TERTIARY ARMORY ALEPH ORDERED THAT THE COMPANY OF MARINES PRESENT WOULD NOT PARTICIPATE IN THE BATTLE."

So far, Simon could not detect a single untruth in his narrative. "So where did you get the gene seed, them?" He asked, still working to detect any lies the Dreadnought uttered.

"THERE WAS A DISUSED MAINTENANCE TUNNEL THAT LED TO THE MAIN COMPLEX. WE SENT A TEAM IN TO INFILTRATE THE GENE LABS AND... ACQUIRE A PORTION OF THE GENE SEED."

"Why would you do that to your own Legion?" Simon said.

"THEY HAD ALL GONE MAD, LUSTING FOR THE BLOOD OF THE WOLVES. I AM STILL UNCERTAIN OF THE REASON, BUT THEY WISHED FOR A BATTLE THEY HAD NO CHANCE OF WINNING." The Dreadnought said. "OUR CAPTAIN DETERMINED THAT, IN THEIR HANDS, THE GENE SEED WOULD NOT SURVIVE. I BELIEVE HE WAS CORRECT."

Simon could still detect nothing but truth in the Dreadnought's words. It seemed impossible, but could the ancient warrior actually be telling the truth?

The group had come some distance through the pressurized portion of the Space Hulk, and now stood before a door.

"THIS LEADS TO THE MAIN HOLD. IT SHOULD REMAIN PRESSURIZED, BUT BE ON YOUR GUARD."

The door cracked with a slight hiss of pressure equalizing, and slowly slid open. Several powerful lights on the dreadnought's frontal chassis activated, illuminating the gloom as the group entered.

They fanned out as they entered, looking around at the massive space. Tanks sat in silent rows down one side of the hold, and the other was dominated by large black boxes standing in evenly spaced rank and file like soldiers at attention.

"THIS IS ALL WE COULD SALVAGE OF THE ARMORY." The Dreadnought boomed. "IT IS PARTLY PORTION OF THE WARGEAR OF PROSPERO, BUT IT IS A START."

Venatus stepped forward. His expression was impossible to make out through his Void Suit, but Simon imagined that he looked like a juvie in a candy dispensary.

"What do you have here? Do you know?" Venatus asked, turning to face the Dreadnought.

"TERTIARY ARMORY ALEPH HOUSED SIX HUNDRED AND SEVENTY-FIVE SUITS OF NEWLY DELIVERED MARK IV MAXIMUS POWER ARMOR," The Dreadnought said. "IT ALSO POSSESSED SEVENTY-FIVE SUITS OF NEWLY MANUFACTURED TARTAROS PATTERN TACTICAL DREADNOUGHT ARMOR. WE MANAGED TO SALVAGE ALL OF IT."

"Tactical... Dreadnought... Armor." Venatus said slowly. "You just said that you have _seventy-five_ sets of _Terminator_ armor here."

"THAT IS CORRECT. WE ALSO HAVE SEVERAL DOZEN COMBAT VEHICLES AND AIRCRAFT."

"First priority is getting this gene seed back to the ship." Augustus said. "Then we need to get these vehicles out of here. Then we'll talk about building a Legion."

[x]

After escorting the gene-seed back to the ship and locking it down in the ship's vaults, the group, plus the Thousand Sons Dreadnought, returned to the main cargo hold with several of Venatus techpriest acolytes and began examining the vehicles and armor in the hold.

"All told," Venatus said to the reconvened group, "The status of the material in this hold is rather unfortunate. Perhaps a tenth of the suits of Power Armor and Tactical Dreadnought armor are ready for use with the simple replacement of volatiles and reactor fuel. The others will require a significant investment of work to return to combat-ready conditions. As for the armored vehicles, those based on Rhino chassis will be rather easy to repair or replace, but the more sacred vehicles will be more difficult to combat conditions."

"What sort of armory are we talking about here?" Augustus asked.

"I have taken the liberty of producing lists." Venatus said.

One of his mechadendrites reached into a pouch on his harness and removed a stack of papers and began handing them to the various members of the group. Simon looked down at his list. It read:

75 Rhinos, easily repaired or replaced

25 Predators, easily repaired or replaced

100 Jetbikes in various conditions

30 Javelin Attack Speeders, 29 in poor condition

16 Sicaran tanks, 15 in various non-functional states

7 Land Raiders of various models

5 Storm Eagles in poor condition

5 Fire Raptors, 4 in poor condition

2 Spartan Assault Tanks, critical condition

2 Fellblades, critical condition

1 Thunderhawk, critical condition

"This is quite the collection." Augustus said. "How much of this gear can we repair on the _Archon_?"

"Only a small portion." Venatus said. "We lack the necessary manufactoria to enact repairs. We would need a planet with considerable industrial facilities."

"What about a factory ship?" Simon asked. "I mean, if we could find a ship even close to the size of the _Archon_, that would pack a lot of industrial gear. It might even have the refineries to smelt the metal we would need to repair this equipment."

"That's actually a good idea." Augustus said. "I need to check if there are any ships like that for sale in this sector, but it could work. It would enable us to maintain the secrecy this endeavor would require, with no loss to productivity."

"THIS IS AN ADEQUATE PLAN." The Dreadnought said. "THERE ARE SEVERAL RELICS ABOARD THIS VESSEL THAT COULD BE USED TO FINANCE THIS PROJECT."

[x]

"So," Maren said the airlock, "You don't really trust that Dreadnought, do you?"

"Of course not." Augustus said. "He's a member of a Traitor Legion. I'm tempted to just melta bomb him, but I don't think the time is right for that just yet. I'm willing to work with him, for now. If we could from a new chapter of the Adeptus Astartes with the power of the Thousand Sons, that would be a great boon for the Imperium."

"Still." Maren said. "It's probably a Chaos plot. The Thousand Sons are only a negligible threat to the galaxy, compared to the other traitor legions, because of their small numbers and disorganized nature. If we provide them with a fresh source of recruits..."

"That's something we need to be one guard for." Augustus said. "I believe the potential benefits of this outweigh the manageable risks."

"And how exactly do you plan on managing that risk?" Maren asked.

"First of all, careful monitoring of the recruits." Augustus said. "I was a Daemonhunter once. I know how these things work. I think we can indoctrinate the recruits to be loyal more efficiently than one Dreadnought can secretly brainwash then to Chaos."

"And if you're wrong?"

"What's the worst thing that could happen?" Augustus said. "We all die? That particular risk has never bothered us before. The number of the Thousand Sons doubles from miniscule to tiny? They still barely compare to the Black Legion. We need every edge we can get, and this could be big one."

"I will support you in this." Maren said. "But I still think this is a bad idea."

"I've actually put some thought into this." Augustus said.

"Still, you're ignoring the logistical difficulties of this operation." Maren said. "Where are you going to get a factory ship? Where are we going to find thousands of potential psychic recruits for this Chapter?"

"I have a few ideas." Augustus said.

[x]

Simon stood next to the Thousand Sons Dreadnought, whose name he had learned to be Rashaken, watching as a Rhino APC was floated out of the cargo bay. There was, of course, insufficient power in the Space Hulk to open the massive cargo bay doors, but a diffuse blast from the _Archon's_ Lace Battery at minimum power and a few melta bombs had fixed that.

"So," Simon said, watching as a pair of spacesuited figures maneuvered a second Rhino out of the bay, "What was it like, Campaigning with the Emperor?"

"I NEVER ACTUALLY MET HIM." Rashaken sent over the tactical network, which he had been patched in to. "BUT TRAVELING TO DISTANT WORLDS, MEETING INTERESTING PEOPLE, AND BLOWING THEM UP IN THE NAME OF THE IMPERIAL TRUTH WAS CERTAINLY... EXCITING, I SUPPOSE."

"Traveling the Galaxy and bringing new worlds into the light of the God-Emperor." Simon said. "It must have been wonderful."

"...GOD-EMPEROR?'

"The God Emperor of Mankind?" Simon said. "That master of humanity? You campaigned when he was still alive. What are you asking?"

"THE EMPEROR HATED BEING WORSHIPED. HE HATED ALL RELIGION, BUT THE WORSHIP OF HIM ESPECIALLY. THAT WAS THE IMPERIAL TRUTH."

"What are you talking about?" Simon said. "The Emperor is the God of Mankind and always has been. Why would he hate being worshiped."

"HE BELIEVED THAT RELIGION WAS THE CAUSE OF TOO MANY OF HUMANITY'S GREAT FAILINGS AND CONFLICTS IN THE PAST."

"But that's ridiculous." Simon said. "People are people. They'll always find a reason to fight. Religion is just one of the reasons. Besides, the only reason that humanity has lasted this long is because of the worship of the Emperor. He protects us from Chaos and gives us the strength to fight the enemies of mankind."

"THE WILL OF THE EMPEROR WAS THAT RELIGION BE BANNED, AND I SERVE THE WILL OF THE EMPEROR." Rashaken said. "THAT IS ALL I NEED TO KNOW."

"But don't you also serve the people of the Imperium?" Simon asked.

"YES."

"Well, what the people of the Imperium want is to worship the Emperor." Simon said. "Doesn't that mean anything? Besides, a lot of things have changed since the Great Crusade. This is one of those things."

"BUT IT IS A BETRAYAL OF THE CORE TENANTS OF THE GREAT CRUSADE AND THE IMPERIUM." Rashaken said. "HOW DID THIS COME TO BE?"

"I don't really know." Simon said. "I'm not sure anyone does. But it is what is, and it means a lot to me. If you wish to dissolve our understanding over this issue, I could understand that, but I would prefer that you don't."

"I MUST CONSIDER THIS INFORMATION." Rashaken replied. "BUT THE CONTINUITY OF MY LEGION IS IMPORTANT."

"I understand that." Simon said. "And the Thousand Sons had many unique abilities among the Astartes before their turn to Chaos. The Imperium could use those powers again. Many of our new foes are weak to psionics."

"ENOUGH OF THESE SOUR MATTERS." Rashaken said suddenly. "TELL ME OF THESE NEW ENEMIES. I WISH TO KNOW WHAT FOES HAVE ARISEN IN MY SLEEP."

"Well," Simon began, "The three big ones are the Necrons, the Tyranids, and the Tau. They're each pretty unique, but they're all threats. The Tau are a young race with high technosorcery, the Tyranids are an extragalactic race of organic weapons bent on devouring all life, and the Necrons are Crazy Zombie Death Robots with incomprehensible technology."

"SPEAK MORE OF THESE NECRONS. HOW HAS THE IMPERIUM FOUGHT THEM?"

"Well, they can teleport, and their infantry guns can mess with a Leman Russ, but bolters put them down just fine. Problem is, sometimes they get back up."

"GET BACK UP?"

"They are made of self-repairing materials." Simon explained. "If your shot doesn't damage core systems, they outer layers will reform to restore loft functions. I hear meltaguns work great, though, as they don't leave much behind to repair."

"I SEE." Rashaken said. "WHAT OF THEIR HISTORIES?"

"We know very little, unfortunately." Simon said. "They don't talk much, and their tombs are buried under miles of planetary crust with no physical access to the surface. Even when you can find your way in, they're full of lethal defenses, and your tunneling effort probably woke up the defenders. I heard someone was working on a way around that, but its probably impossible to go into one and survive."

"TROUBLING. I ASSUME THAT TWO-STAGE CYCLONIC TORPEDOES ARE USED?"

"That or the Eldar equivalent." Simon said. "The Eldar are the ancient foes of the Necrons. We've worked with the Eldar on occasion to thwart the Necrons."

"I WILL IGNORE THAT, FOR NOW." Rashaken said, as a Land Raider flew by. Simon got the distinct impression that he was grumbling. "I ASSUME YOU HAD A GOOD REASON."

[x]

Simon closed the door to his room and sighed. He had been required to use his mental powers on several occasions to help move stuck vehicles or other pieces of equipment, and genestealers had attacked on two occasions, forcing everyone to drop what they were doing and rally to defend the operation. However, all of the essential equipment had been moved, and they were going to work overnight to pull everything of value off the space hulk. Come morning in the ship's daycycle, they would blow the Hulk to kingdom come with the _Archon of Dawn's_ heavy guns.

As he took a step into the room, Simon's eyes narrowed. He spotted a flash of motion somewhere in the shadowed interior of the room. His hand shot out and pressed the activation rune for the lights in the room and grabbed the handle of his sidearm with the other.

The lumen globes blinked on, revealing a figure in the air halfway between Simon and the far wall. It continued on its ballistic trajectory, and Simon had his pistol halfway to a firing position before he realized what it was.

The projectile struck Simon an instant later, nearly knocking him off his feet. He stepped backward, rolling with the kinetic energy of the impact. As Sara wrap her arms around his upper body, he groaned internally.

"Hi Simon!" Sara squealed, as she spun Simon around and landed on the floor.

"Sara, what are you doing here?" Simon asked, taking a step back from the Human Tyranid and shaking his head. "This is my room."

"I know, but I decided that I'd sleep here, remember?" Sara said. "Augustus just had my bed installed and everything!"

"Well thank the Emperor for that." Simon muttered. "Wait, what? We could have used that labor in looting the Space Hulk! Why did he do that at a time like this?"

"I don't know." Sara said. "But aren't you glad?"

_Not particularly. _Simon thought. "Umm, sure. So, why are you still here?"

Sara's face fell. "You mean you don't want to spend time with me?"

"No, that's not it." Simon said. "I'm just really tired from helping out with the Space Hulk is all."

"Ok, then let's go to sleep!" Sara said.

"Sure." Simon said. "Um, they're going to be blowing up the Space Hulk tomorrow. Do you want to go to the bridge to watch it with me?"

"Sure." Sara said. "I'd love to. It's a date!"

_What have I gotten myself into?_

[x]

"So, that describes the program I'd like you to establish." Augustus said, into the Astropathic relay.

He was communicating with a contact of his on a nearby planet, close enough to be within voice range of Astropathic communications. He was authorizing his contact to use his funds to establish a recruiting apparatus for screening young boys for psionic potential and inducting them into a training organization to prepare them, clandestinely, to become Space Marines.

How, exactly, he would get them away from their parents was a consideration for another time.

"I understand." His contact said. "I'll have people in motion come morning."

"Good." Augustus said. "You understand the need for discretion."

"Of course."


End file.
